Telehealthcare: the long road from concept to reality

Published: 05/19

PORTOROZ, SLOVENIA – (HealthTech Wire) - It will take time and effort to make telehealthcare a realty, according to Rolien de Jong, innovations manager at The Hague-based Meavita Healthcare. Presenting the experiences of her company at the eHealth 2008 meeting in Slovenia, de Jong pointed out that in order to make the breakthrough, it's the providers who are taking the risk – not once, not twice, “but again, and again, and again”.

Despite the difficulties of large-scale telehealth deployment, her company has recorded some results that she said “pointed in the right direction”. According to a study, home-monitored patients say they feel a greater level of self-sufficiency and safety. Acceptance seems to be dictated by the seriousness and progression of a disease: for instance, diabetes 2 patients used the system twice a week, whereas patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) used it six times a week. “It really became part of their lives,” she said.

“From a certain stage of a disease, people just want to know that somebody cares. The feeling that you're being taken care of is one of the major benefits of telehealthcare, as it gives psychological relief in difficult situations,” de Jong told HealthTech Wire.

And yet the barriers are still significant: innovation and technology are not always good for older patients, nurses are concerned that their places of work are turning into high-tech cockpits and there is a danger of non-verbal signals being missed, which can impact negatively on the quality of care.

But just one year after implementation, the telehealth solution is beginning to deliver results: hospitalization has been reduced for COPD patients, while diabetes control has a lower referral rate to hospitals and practice visits are falling.

Meavita Healthcare currently has around 100 diabetes 2 patients and 50 COPD patients linked to its telehealthcare systems. A plan to link 12,000 employees to the system has been halted owing to high resistance from those who were concerned about being electronically linked to their employer. The return on investment (ROI) for the company also proved too low.

“Telehealthcare can work,” concludes de Jong. The quality of life of patients and nurses can be improved when using telehealthcare solutions as a “personal coach”, she said. But ensuring successful implementation is a question of extreme professionalism and careful communication: advice should be given on the basis of a behaviour profile that takes into account the treatments a patient receives, nutritional habits and activity levels.

“Analyze the need, make a strategic plan, consider the cultural aspects and communicate at all levels – again, and again, and again.” (AS)