Doctors use mobile phone technology to monitor patients
DOCTORS are using mobile phone technology to monitor patients at home.
In a pilot scheme, patients are being discharged early, fitted with an “intelligent sensor” that monitors vital signs including heart rate, breathing and blood pressure.
The monitor, taped to the breast- bone, sends information to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. Adverse signs set off an alarm so doctors can act.
Accident and emergency consultant Dr Simon Lewis said: “This allows us to get patients home while we look after them in their own environment.”
He denied the scheme was designed to replace doctors, saying: “This is not about replacing healthcare but adding to it.”
However, it is hoped the scheme will save NHS cash by reducing the demands on hospitals. Experts say the technology could also monitor the health of elderly people in their homes.
The project, which will be on show at the Future of Wireless International Conference in Cambridge next month, can also be used to look after patients with chronic conditions like heart disease or diabetes.
Other wireless healthcare advances on trial include pills designed to release chemotherapy to a cancerous part of the stomach or intestines and Bluetooth-enabled scales to transmit weight trends to doctors.