e-Health
e-Health - Teletransmission of data
The 2007 ESH/ESC guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension speak very much in favour of
integrating blood pressure measurement outside the doctor's surgery.
In EuroMedix' view, this has to be a part of a new integrated approach that complements blood pressure
measurement at the GP's surgery with ABPM (Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement) as well as HBPM
(Home Blood Pressure Measurement) and e-Health technology into a coherent surveillance system that
provides
the physician with standardized, reproducible data about a patient's blood pressure.
The objective for the GP's is to get more in depth understanding of the blood pressure profile of a given
patient, e.g. to exclude white coat hypertension and on the other hand to reveal so-called masked
hypertension.
Once a sound diagnosis has been established, the new approach can help the GP to adjust medication and
tune it to the patient's specific case.
Many studies, such as the SHEAF study on masked hypertension, suggest that home BP measurement
has a better prognostic accuracy than office BP measurement.
Teletransmission of data
Once the stat of the hypertension is assesed, the so-called "titration" period requires that the GP sees the
patient very often, according to ESH/ESC say every two weeks, in order to evaluate the patient's response
to the chosen therapy.
All of this costs time and money that can be spent in a better way:
Real thime teletransmission of data between the home blood pressure measurement tool
and the GP's computer
In the age of wireless communication, it is only natural that the medical world takes advantage
of the new data transmission technologies.
Technically speaking a Bluetooth wireless communication is installed between the home or ambulant
BP measurement tool and the patient's fixed or cell phone.
This in turn sends BP data to an e-Health database, to which the GP can log in and read the data
assembled by the home or ambulant measurement tools. Should at any moment the readings surpass
a critical threshold, a fax (sms, e-mail) informs the GP, who can then take appropriate action.
Virtual Hypertension Clinic (Teletransmission of data) is the future
We are entering the era of e-Health.
As a forerunner in diagnostic tools, EuroMedix has all the tools and technology to needed in its portfolio
to give
shape to this, including the e-Health database and the client server software that allows GP's, hospitals
the link to download the data into their own proprietary patient data management systems.
The advantages are priceless: GP's get an all-in-one standardized, user-friendly measurement and data
acquisition system that helps them to make a correct diagnosis ant therapy management (including
efficient titration).
The intervals between visits to the GP can be lengthened, and therapy compliance & persistancy will
be enhanced.
To conclude: e-Health, like teletransmission of home and ambulant BP measurement, is a
powerful tool in the hands of physicians, hospitals, health insurance and other healthcare
stakeholders to enhance prevention of cardiovascular diseases, save lives and at the same
time cut the costs related to those diseases.