October 8th, 2008

The Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Philadelphia has launched a personalized telehealth service in Montgomery County, which keeps patients connected with their doctors 24/7.

Reports the Times Herald:

Still in its developmental phase, telehealth technology allows the care provider to establish daily communication with the patient as they monitor all clinical aspects of the patient’s condition without the need for daily traditional in-home visits.

Patients are equipped with monitoring units and are responsible for taking their own vitals readings, measuring blood pressure and level of blood oxygen.

They also need to hop on a scale every to determine any fluctuations in their weight.

The information is then sent over the internet to a nurse, who uses the information to determine the patient’s condition, and whether their condition is worsening.