Home Monitoring for Chronic Diseases for Aged Care

Funded by DOHA
Partners:	Health & Bio-Security (Rajiv Jayasena)
Duration:	2014 – 2017

Managing the rising cost of delivering healthcare is a major challenge for Australia. Targeting health services to assist the chronically ill and ageing population – which accounted for over 70 per cent of Australia’s $103.6 billion health expenditure during 2007-2008 – can help to reduce the load on our health system and hospitals.

This project aim to deliver a national telehealth trial of home monitoring of chronic disease for aged care. Trial partners across the country including ACT, Townsville, Bacchus Marsh & Melton, Launceston and Greater Western Sydney meant this was Australia’s first large scale telehealth clinical trial.

In total 287 patients participated in the trial across the six sites. Test patients were provided with a telehealth device that included participant/clinician video conferencing capabilities, messaging features and the delivery of clinical and study specific questionnaires, as well as vital signs devices to monitor their ECG, heart rate, spirometry, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body weight and body temperature, with glucometry an optional add-on.

The 12-month trial enabled chronic disease patients to self-manage their conditions at home through the provision of telehealth services. Health workers could assess changes in their patient’s conditions remotely and provide appropriate care interventions earlier to help them stay out of hospital and improve their quality of life.