Telemedicine: a pilot study in nursing home residents.
BACKGROUND
Telemedicine has been applied successfully in various fields of medicine. This mode of health care delivery may potentially be useful in supporting frail nursing home residents who require multidisciplinary geriatric services.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility of telemedicine in providing geriatric services to nursing home residents, and whether this mode of care resulted in increased productivity and savings.


METHODS
A local 200-bed nursing home supported by the Community Geriatric Assessment Team (CGAT) was recruited. Over a 1-year period, teleconferencing was used to replace conventional geriatric outreach services. The feasibility of telemedicine was evaluated by participating specialists. Productivity gains, consumption of hospital services and user satisfaction were measured.


RESULTS
Telemedicine was adequate for service delivery in up to 99% of cases, depending on the specialty. A greater number of clients were served and follow-up intervals were shortened. The service was cheaper than conventional outreach or clinic activities, and acceptable to users and clients. In particular, savings were made through a 9% reduction in visits to the Accidents and Emergency Department and in 11% fewer admissions to acute hospital wards.


CONCLUSIONS
telemedicine is a feasible means of delivering multidisciplinary care to frail nursing home residents, and may result in increased productivity and significant savings.
Hui
E
E
Community Geriatric Assessment Team, Shatin Hospital, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
Woo
J
J
Hjelm
M
M
Zhang
Y T
YT
Tsui
H T
HT
D000368:Aged; D004526:Efficiency; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*