Whole system demonstrator programme
Department of Health
“The Whole System Demonstrator programme was set up by the Department of Health to show just what telehealth and telecare is capable of.
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Telecare
Health-enabling technologies for the elderly – An overview of services based on a literature review
Ludwig W et al, Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 2011
Background
Services for the elderly based on health-enabling technologies promise to contribute significantly to the efficiency and effectiveness of future health care. Due to this promise, over the last years the scientific community has designed a complex variety of these valuable innovations. A systematic overview of the developed services would help to better understand their opportunities and limitations.
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Methodologies for assessing telemedicine: A systematic review of reviews
Ekeland AG et al, International Journal of Medical Informatics, 2011
Background and objectives
Previous reviews have expressed concerns about the quality of telemedicine studies. There is debate about shortcomings and appropriate methodologies. The aim of this review of systematic reviews of telemedicine is to summarize methodologies used in telemedicine research, discuss knowledge gaps and recommendations and suggest methodological approaches for further research.
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Systematic review of studies of the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine and telecare. Changes in the economic evidence over twenty years
Mistry H. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 2011
A systematic review of studies of the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine and telecare was undertaken from 1990 until September 2010. Twelve databases were searched, using economic evaluation terms combined with telemedicine terms. The search identified 80 studies which were classed as full economic evaluations; the majority (38) were cost-consequence analyses. There were 15 cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) and seven cost-utility analyses (CUA).
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The Epilepsy Project in the Republic of Ireland: Lessons for Digital Homecare
Fisk MJ. Handbook of Digital Homecare - Successes and Failures, 2011
Sometimes overlooked from within the range of long term conditions that are being addressed via telecare (care service provision mediated by telecommunications technologies) are the needs of people with epilepsy. This chapter reports on a telecare project (the Epilepsy Project) in the Republic of Ireland that, through the use of bed epilepsy sensors, supported the needs of people with epilepsy and their carers at home. The service developed in the Project is now mainstreamed but operates on a relatively small scale.
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Droit de la Télésanté et de la Télémédicine
Nathalie Ferraud-Ciandet, Éditions Heures de France
“Les applications de télésanté s’étendent chaque jour et incluent notamment : la gestion des données de santé, la prescription en ligne, la télémédecine, la téléassistance, la téléchirurgie.
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GPs back expanded role for telecare
Stephen Robinson, GP Online
“GPs who commissioned regional telecare schemes told an RCGP event in London last week that the profession must adopt ‘a new mindset’.
They argued that GPs must learn to use telecare to improve care for patients with chronic illness and to cut NHS costs.
The comments came as the DoH revealed plans to announce preliminary findings from the world’s largest RCT of telecare later this month.
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Nursing and information and communication technology (ICT): A discussion of trends and future directions
While A, Dewsbury G. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2011
This paper traces the development of information and communication (ICT) within health care and the emergence of telehealth as a key component of modern health care delivery as health care moves from the ‘face to face age’ to the ‘information age’. The paper examines the interface of ICT and nursing practice and highlights the limited evidence relating to the nursing contribution within telehealth particularly beyond data input and output analysis for other health care personnel.
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Telecare and older people: who cares where?
Milligan C et al, Social Science & Medicine, 72(3)
‘Telecare solutions’ are seen as a potential means of addressing the future care needs of ageing societies in Western economies. The development of these remote care systems runs in parallel with policies aimed at ‘ageing in place’; and is targeted at supporting the perceived care needs of frail older people within the home. Drawing on ethnographic and deliberative panel data from European Community funded research, we consider how these developments contribute to a reshaping of the place and experience of care for older people.
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Nick Goodwin: Can we justify the investment in telehealth and telecare?
Nick Goodwin, BMJ Group Blogs
“To the disappointment of some of the delegates, early DH insights into the findings were thin on the ground. Trial results were, however, reported as “encouraging,” including reductions in hospital admissions for people with COPD and a positive trend in the overall impact on system cost effectiveness.
More detailed findings emerged outside the main congress hall.
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Will GP Commissioners Embrace Telehealth? Absolutely But Not Yet
Ade Bamigboye, GLG News
“UK Government’s move to shift most of the national healthcare budget to GPs could pave the way for more radical adoption of technology driven healthcare solutions that include telecare and mobile health.
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Design and Implementation of a Telecare Information Platform
Li S et al, Journal of Medical Systems, 2010
For the aging population and for people with dominant chronic diseases, countries all over the world are promoting an “Aging in Place” program with its primary focus on the implementation of telecare. In 2009, Taiwan held a “Health Care Value-Added Platinum Program” with the goal of promoting the development of “Telecare” services by integrating medical treatment, healthcare, information communication, medical equipments and materials and by linking related cross-discipline professions to enable people to familiarize themselves with preventive healthcare services offered in their household and community environments. In addition, this program can be utilized to effectively provide diversified healthcare service benefitting society as a whole.
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CEG vraagt aandacht voor ethische vraagstukken rondom telezorg
Mario Gibbels, Zorgvisie
“Zorg op afstand, ofwel telezorg, kan patiënten zelfredzamer maken en de toenemende druk op de arbeidsmarkt verminderen. Het kan echter ook leiden tot medicalisering van de persoonlijke levenssfeer.
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A survey of older Hong Kong people’s perceptions of telecommunication technologies and telecare devices
Lai CK et al, Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 16(8)
We investigated how older Hong Kong people perceive the application of telecommunication technologies in products that could enhance their safety at home. The telecare devices in the present study were: (1) the Personal Emergency Link Service (PELS), a 24-hour personal emergency link service; (2) a home-based non-intrusive motion monitoring system; and (3) a wearable vital signs monitoring system. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 368 elderly persons aged 65 years or above from 15 District Elderly Community Centres in Hong Kong, through a structured questionnaire administered during face-to-face interviews by trained interviewers.
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How Telemedicine has Revolutionized Healthcare
Jamie Simpson, Article Intelligence
“Telemedicine uses internet and telecommunication technology to bring health care to remote areas. To many researchers, the first documented case of telecare took place in 1999 when Dr. Jerri Nielsen diagnosed herself with breast cancer while serving at a research facility in the Antarctic.
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VISYTER: Versatile and Integrated System for Telerehabilitation
Parmanto B et al, Telemedicine and e-Health, 16(9)
The versatile and integrated system for telerehabilitation (VISYTER) is a software platform for developing various telerehabilitation applications. VISYTER has been designed to take into account the environments and requirements of rehabilitation services. The requirements considered in the platform design include minimal equipment beyond what is available in many rehabilitation settings, minimal maintenance, and ease of setup and operation. In addition, the platform has been designed to be able to adjust to different bandwidths, ranging from the very fast new generation of Internet to residential broadband connections. VISYTER is a secure integrated system that combines high-quality videoconferencing with access to electronic health records and other key tools in telerehabilitation such as stimuli presentation, remote multiple camera control, remote control of the display screen, and an eye contact teleprompter.
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New evidence to support telecare business cases
Telecare Aware
“The development of telecare services in the UK has, more often than not, been done on the basis of slim evidence from local trials or ‘on trust’ that spending a little you can save more. However, the just released report An Assessment of The Development of Telecare in Scotland 2006-2010 by Newhaven Research [for the Scottish Government, presumably, Ed Steve] which has realistic figures based on a large sample, will be a major boost to support business cases.
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Effectiveness of telemedicine: A systematic review of reviews
Ekeland AG et al, International Journal of Medical Informatics, 79(11)
Objectives
To conduct a review of reviews on the impacts and costs of telemedicine services.
Methods
A review of systematic reviews of telemedicine interventions was conducted. Interventions included all e-health interventions, information and communication technologies for communication in health care, Internet based interventions for diagnosis and treatments, and social care if important part of health care and in collaboration with health care for patients with chronic conditions were considered relevant. Each potentially relevant systematic review was assessed in full text by one member of an external expert team, using a revised check list from EPOC (Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group) to assess quality. Qualitative analysis of the included reviews was informed by principles of realist review.
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Telecare – the ethical debate
Steve Hards, Telecare Aware
“This item packs a double punch. First, it is significant that the The Nursing Times – the reading for most UK’s nurses – is featuring a positive item on telecare and second, the 12 minute video it is built around from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) is a well balanced and informative view of the current state of telecare in the UK.
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Wired Homes Keep Tabs On Aging Parents
Jennifer Ludden, NPR
“The boomer generation that has grown up with e-mail, cell phones and video cameras is now using all of these things to help care for their aging parents. That’s leading to some odd dinnertime scenes, like the one that plays out every evening in the ranch house of Edward and Lavinia Fitzgerald in Savannah, Ga.
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