title: Application of Handheld Tele-ECG for Health Care Delivery in Rural India.
abstract: Telemonitoring is a medical practice that involves remotely monitoring patients who are not at the same location as the health care provider. The purpose of our study was to use handheld tele-electrocardiogram (ECG) developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) to identify heart conditions in the rural underserved population where the doctor-patient ratio is low and access to health care is difficult. The objective of our study was clinical validation of handheld tele-ECG as a screening tool for evaluation of cardiac diseases in the rural population. ECG was obtained in 450 individuals (mean age 31.49 ± 20.058) residing in the periphery of Chandigarh, India, from April 2011 to March 2013, using the handheld tele-ECG machine. The data were then transmitted to physicians in Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, for their expert opinion. ECG was interpreted as normal in 70% individuals. Left ventricular hypertrophy (9.3%) was the commonest abnormality followed closely by old myocardial infarction (5.3%). Patient satisfaction was reported to be ~95%. Thus, it can be safely concluded that tele-ECG is a portable, cost-effective, and convenient tool for diagnosis and monitoring of heart diseases and thus improves quality and accessibility, especially in rural areas.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Pediatric Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India.
authors.forename: Meenu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: ICMR Centre for Evidence Based Child Health, Advanced Pediatric Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7136-8206
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronic Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: Vineet
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India.
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manoj Kumar
authors.affiliation: ICMR Centre for Evidence Based Child Health, Advanced Pediatric Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India.
authors.forename: Nishant
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5511-4572
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jaiswal
authors.affiliation: ICMR Centre for Evidence Based Child Health, Advanced Pediatric Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India.
authors.forename: Ishita
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4911-5899
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jindal
authors.affiliation: ICMR Centre for Evidence Based Child Health, Advanced Pediatric Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India.
authors.forename: Pankaj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pant
authors.affiliation: ICMR Centre for Evidence Based Child Health, Advanced Pediatric Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India.
authors.forename: Munish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumar