Clinical efficacy of remote examinations using a casual telecare system upon the medical follow-up of elderly patients with chronic diseases

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24590815
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Public health/Health science
• Research Institution: Kyorin University
• Principal Investigator: HOMMA Satoki 杏林大学, 医学部, 准教授 (30190276)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 遠隔診療 / テレモニタリング / 遠隔医療システム / 遠隔聴診 / 高齢者診療 / 慢性疾患 / 急性疾患の発症 / 診断精度

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We examined the telecare practice of a remote medical physician in Tokyo, who used a system composed of commercial equipment and application services, in 39 elderly patients with chronic diseases, who living in the Fukushima prefecture. The telecare program comprised a monthly remote physical examination via videophone and remote auscultation, and telemonitoring with self-measurement of step counts and vital signs. The patients made almost the same complaints in the telecare sessions and in the usual face-to-face consultation with their regular physicians. The findings from the visual examinations via videophone were almost identical with those obtained from the face-to-face consultations. The five episodes of onset of acute diseases were predicted based on changes in vital measurements and step counts in a retrospective analysis. In comparison with the control patients, those who participated in our telecare sessions had a fewer frequency of visits to their regular physicians’clinic.

Free Research Field

医療情報学