9 June 2005
Broadband technology is increasingly being used to connect patients in the United States in the comfort of their own homes with their healthcare providers, a new report suggests.
The technology aims to motivate patients to modify their behaviour by following their doctor's guidelines, eating right and exercising more, according to Philips Medical Systems.
The use of broadband and television-based interactive technology is intended to improve the quality of life of chronically ill patients, while also driving down the costs of managing their healthcare.
The technology allows patients to become actively involved in managing their own healthcare. Patients monitor their vital signs on a wireless device from home and the data is then sent via a secure transmission to the patient's healthcare provider for review. Nurses can send educational content, personalised feedback, and even motivational messages, back to the patient.
Philips Medical Systems, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, has devised a new communication technology system, Motiva, which uses secure broadband technology to connect patients and healthcare providers through their home television set.
A recent study of congestive heart failure patients by Royal Philips Electronics found broad acceptance of using a TV to get personalised healthcare information by patients and indicated that patients found the television interface easy-to-use in establishing an effective daily routine.
Healthcare workers also felt that the system improved their connection with patients and made them more aware of the patients' health status.© DeHavilland Information Services plc
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