title: Telemedical treatment at home of diabetic foot ulcers.
abstract: The treatment of diabetic foot ulcers may not always be well organized and not all patients have access to expert evaluation. We investigated the use of telemedicine to enable a visiting nurse (in the patient's home) to coordinate the treatment with experts (at the hospital). The equipment consisted of a UMTS videophone and an Internet-based patient record. Field studies were carried out at the outpatient clinic and by following visiting nurses. A total of 15 participants were invited to five workshops and experiments held in our laboratories, at the hospital, and between hospital and patients' homes. Finally, in a pilot test, five patients were offered three teleconsultations at their homes in lieu of visits to the hospital. Preliminary results were promising: (1) both clinicians and patients found the equipment easy to use; (2) the doctor could prescribe treatment at a distance; (3) the visiting nurse had realtime contact with the hospital and treatment could begin immediately according to the doctor's orders; (4) the patient saved time in not having to travel to the hospital.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Pervasive Healthcare, DK8200 Aarhus N, Denmark. janec@daimi.au.dk
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clemensen
authors.forename: Simon B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ejskjaer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000451:nursing*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000458:organization & administration*