October 13, 2005 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Photograph by Greg Sailor
People with chronic health problems, such as diabetes or congestive heart failure, often need constant monitoring by a doctor or nurse. But for elderly people who live in their own homes and do not drive, transportation to a doctor can be difficult, and frequent visits from a nurse costly.
A nonprofit “telehealth” program in Ohio, however, has found a way to step in and help. All told, 400 elderly patients in the state have been able, with the push of a button, to talk to a nurse using a telephone and video monitor in their homes.
Started in 2002, the telehealth program of Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services aims to teach patients about their health, decrease the number of emergency-room visits, and maximize the time nurses can spend helping patients. The nonprofit group, headquartered in Columbus, also runs retirement homes and provides other services to the elderly.
The virtual health-care visits take place at least once a week and are meant to supplement regular doctors’ appointments. Before their first video appointment, patients are taught how to use the equipment, which includes a digital camera and a specially equipped stethoscope, as well as how to check and record their own blood pressure, glucose levels, and amount of oxygen in their blood.
During the virtual visits, a nurse listens to the patient’s heart and lungs through the stethoscope, which projects the sounds to a remote station so the nurse can hear them. The nurse also reviews information about blood pressure and other vital signs provided by the patient, and asks questions related to the person’s general welfare.
Costs vary for the technology but tend to run about $6,300 for the in-home video monitor and other equipment and $9,000 to set up a monitoring station for nurses. Since 2003 the fund-raising arm of Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services has raised $406,487, primarily through corporate and foundation grants, to help pay for the telehealth program.
Here, a patient checks her blood pressure at home while a nurse watches from a video monitor.
