Older patients with chronic diseases who were monitored with at-home electronic systems were just as likely to be sent to the emergency room or hospitalized as those who were not monitored, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study involved 205 elderly patients from Minnesota deemed at risk for hospitalization because of age and current medical conditions. The participants were receiving treatment for heart failure, lung disease, diabetes or kidney disease.
Half of the participants received the at-home electronic monitoring systems. These participants had five to ten minutes of measurements taken daily and talked with nurses over the phone. They could also videoconference if they needed help. The other half of the participants continued receiving their usual treatment including routine primary care and specialist visits.
Key findings from the study include:
• Sixty-four percent of telemonitoring patients visited the ER or were hospitalized during the study compared to 57 percent of participants in the usual-care group;
• Fifteen percent of the telemonitoring group died compared to 4 percent of the usual-care patients.
The researchers could not explain the differences in death rates between the participant groups. There was no difference in quality of life between the groups or in the number of recent hospitalizations at the start of the study.
The researchers believe the study findings do not mean telemonitoring will never work, but that regular home check-ins may be useful and cost-effective.
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The study involved 205 elderly patients from Minnesota deemed at risk for hospitalization because of age and current medical conditions. The participants were receiving treatment for heart failure, lung disease, diabetes or kidney disease.
Half of the participants received the at-home electronic monitoring systems. These participants had five to ten minutes of measurements taken daily and talked with nurses over the phone. They could also videoconference if they needed help. The other half of the participants continued receiving their usual treatment including routine primary care and specialist visits.
Key findings from the study include:
• Sixty-four percent of telemonitoring patients visited the ER or were hospitalized during the study compared to 57 percent of participants in the usual-care group;
• Fifteen percent of the telemonitoring group died compared to 4 percent of the usual-care patients.
The researchers could not explain the differences in death rates between the participant groups. There was no difference in quality of life between the groups or in the number of recent hospitalizations at the start of the study.
The researchers believe the study findings do not mean telemonitoring will never work, but that regular home check-ins may be useful and cost-effective.
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10 Proven Ways to Reduce Hospital Readmissions