Telemedicine permits "electronic house calls"

17 Jun 2002

The prototype for an electronic house call that could make health care as accessible as cable television has been developed and tested in a collaborative effort between two Georgia universities, the U.S. Army and a private cable company. The computer system uses a commercially available videoconferencing program that enables the nurse and patient to see each other and talk throughout the examination. The electronic house call prototype can also accept data from a variety of medical devices, allowing patients to have their blood pressure and blood oxygen levels checked and their temperature and weight measured. Researchers are developing ways to alter the menu of measurements to meet the specific needs of a patient.

The prototype, developed by researchers at the Medical College of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been tested in the homes of 25 patients of MCG Hospital and Clinics and Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon. It is also being tested at Westlake Manor, a 100-bed nursing home in Augusta, with links to a physician's office and his home.

"From our perspective, it's a visionary thing in terms of delivering services to patients at home," said Loretta Schlachta, Clinical Coordinator for Telemedicine for the Department of Defense's Center for Total Access. "That's the first level of care, self-care. When you get a cold, you are the first one to intervene. That's what the electronic house call does. It brings the level of care to where it makes the most difference, at home."