New Research Examines If Telemedicine Can Decrease in Cardiovascular Disease in Underserved Populations

Published by: Association of Telehealth Service Providers www.astp.org

Source: Federal Telemedicine News

Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia with grant support from the Pennsylvania Department of Health are trying to see if telemedicine can be used to accomplish a significant decrease in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in underserved inner city and rural populations by addressing the higher prevalence and discrepancies in treatments for these underserved populations.

This research study being conducted at the School of Medicine and Temple University Hospital was started in 2003 and due to be completed in 2007. The study is specifically studying how telemedicine technologies can be used to provide motivational and personalized information to patients to treat their heart conditions, plus provide ways for patients to communicate with their physicians.

In another study, Yale University School of Public Health with grant support from NHLBI, is studying how telemonitoring can be used to improve heart failure treatment and prevent rehospitalizations. Physicians try to detect and treat early signs of heart failure but often the patients make infrequent outpatient visits and sometimes patients won't take an active role in managing their own conditions.

The study started in 2005 and due to end 2009, is looking at using telemonitoring so that patients and healthcare providers can better communicate with each other. Patients will then become better educated about managing their conditions and take a more active role in their own care. The need for this study is important since there has been little data on the effectiveness of telemonitoring

The study is using the Health Buddy system to connect to conventional telephone lines and does not require internet access. The study is trying to determine if using the telemonitoring system along with usual medical care will reduce the rates for readmitting patients to hospitals who have been hospitalized for heart failure in the previous 30 days. This controlled trial recruited 1,640 patients from community based cardiology practices in the U.S., and providers from local practice sites will review the information from the telemonitoring appliances.