ARTICLE

AN EVALUATION OF THE WEST SURREY TELEMEDICINE MONITORING PROJECT

Author(s): Jeremy Dale ; Sarah Connor ; Kim Tolley Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare Volume: 9 Number: 3 Supplement: 1 Page: 39 – 41

We conducted a three-month pilot study of a home monitoring service for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Fifty-five patients were recruited. They transmitted physiological data to a monitoring centre once a day.

During the period of the study, 36 escalations were reported to have occurred. Of these, 29 (81%) were managed at home; the other 7 (19%) resulted in acute admission after emergency telephone calls.

Although only a small number of patients were involved for a relatively short period of time, there was evidence of a substantial (approximately 50%) decrease in rates of hospital admission. The service was highly acceptable to the patients.