title: The personal telemedicine system. A new tool for the delivery of health care.
abstract: An inexpensive home telemedicine system has been developed, comprising a personal telemedicine unit in the patient's home connected by ordinary telephone lines to a central nursing station. Using this system a nurse or other health-care professional at the central station was able to make a 'video visit' to the patient's home. In a preliminary trial, patients were referred by the patient's physician or by a home-care nurse. All 12 patients learned to use the personal telemedicine unit easily and effectively, and there were no complications related to its use. A significant finding was a reduction in the number of home-care visits in seven of the 12 patients (58%). Telecare using the personal telemedicine system was significantly cheaper than care delivered by conventional routes. The average charge was about $15 for a video visit by a nurse, compared with about $90 for a real visit.
authors.affiliation: American Telecare Inc, Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3732, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mahmud
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lenz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D003704:Dementia / Q000628:therapy; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D010548:Personal Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000628:therapy; D015397:Program Evaluation; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000628:therapy; D013686:Telemetry / Q000295:instrumentation; D014584:User-Computer Interface