Telehealth and Medicine Today

Innovative Telemedicine Approaches in Different Countries: Opportunity for Adoption, Leveraging, and Scaling-Up

2020-03-31T15:39:39-07:00

In the age of digitization, a growing percentage of services are becoming available online, and this trend is affecting healthcare too. As evolving technology creates more avenues for physicians to deliver affordable and instant care to their patients, there has been a sharp increase in the number of telemedicine implementations across the world.1 As in other disciplines, guidelines and regulations on telemedicine lag behind the use of the technology and are still being crafted and modified. For example, the new nationwide policy on telemedicine of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of the US Government became effective in mid-2018 and incorporates the opinion and recommendations made 7 years earlier. In recent years, the VA spent over $1 billion a year on transportation of veterans to and from hospitals; now with telemedicine, this amount can be used increasingly for other purposes. This cost-saving experience at the national scale should alert industry actors, national governments, and consumers of the growing urgency to address the policy and regulatory aspects of telemedicine to provide healthcare services with greater speed, quality, and safety to rapidly increasing percentages of citizens of their respective countries.

Motivational Intervention of Obesity in Primary Care Through Physical Activity Program

2020-03-31T15:39:38-07:00

Summary: Obesity and overweight are significant public health problems, worldwide. Hence, there is the importance of developing and applying strategies that reduce weight in this population. We set out to evaluate the effectiveness of obesity intervention with three different approaches—one of them with a platform that promotes physical activity.

Methods: Randomized, controlled, parallel clinical trial that compared three arms, multicenter study in overweight or obese patients, with a 12-month follow-up. The patients were randomized into three groups: Intervention in the primary care center with intervention G1: Control group, which received the usual recommendations of losing weight following the SEEDO 2000 (Sociedad Española para el Estudio de la Obesidad) Consensus, G2: Motivational intervention of obesity (IMOAP) with a trained nurse and small periodic work groups, and G3: IMOAP adding the use of a digital platform to record physical activity, monitors it, and, in turn, favors the practice of this (aka iwopi: the concept that physical activity has a positive impact beyond the activity). Variables collected included: weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, lipid parameters, blood pressure, and glycosylated hemoglobin. After the interventions, clinical relevance indicators were studied. Relative risk (RR), absolute risk reduction (ARR), relative risk reduction (RRR), and number needed to treat (NNT), both for intention to treat and for biological efficacy.

Results: Cholesterol levels in three groups were reduced. The BMI showed a general average reduction. Total cholesterol levels were reduced in all groups, with the largest decrease in G3. Triglyceride levels were significantly reduced in two groups. Glycosylated hemoglobin showed a slight decrease that did not reach a statistically significant value.

Conclusions: The digital health platform that stimulates physical activity added to an interventionist motivation in patients with overweight or obesity is a significant additional benefit in terms of weight loss results, BMI reduction, and lipid profile in patients affected by overweight or obesity, and a most effective cost.

Tele-Health: Is it only for the rural areas? A review on its wider use.

2020-03-31T15:39:37-07:00

Tele-health, tele-medicine or digital medicine is a relatively new concept in health care provision and its perceived as a useful mode of managing patients specially on remote locations. As the technology is evolving the need arises to explore telehealth as part of the holistic care modality. There are significant number of literature available on tele-health but most of this is focused on either specialty based or one or two aspects of its care provision. In this article the aim is to focus on the opinion generated on four main building blocks of telehealth at present time; the perception of health care staff, the perception of patients, quality of internet and technology, and whether its cost effectiveness in the two years of literature.

Predictions for Telehealth in 2020: Will This be the Takeoff Year?

2020-03-31T15:39:36-07:00

Introduction by Amar Gupta

In order to place predictions for telehealth in proper perspective, consider that like all new industries, telehealth is characterized by disparate ideas developed by different people, often for the same medical specialty and/or medicine-related activity. Over time, these ideas must coalesce to provide growth and economies of scale. This occurs at multiple levels. One need only look at the history of banking and finance for an analogous situation that is highlighted by innovation, mergers, and integration.

In healthcare, the overall experience with array of disparate health information exchanges has been less than satisfactory to most observers. While the trend towards consolidation has begun in the telehealth arena, it is at an early stage.

With this in mind, our invited experts looked into the future from their shared and unique perspectives to offer their view of the next big thing(s) in telehealth in 2020.

Neurology eConsults at Penn State Health: What, Why, and How?

2020-03-31T15:39:40-07:00

eConsults provide a mechanism for specialists to provide guidance to their colleagues to allow them to manage patients in primary care settings. The patient receives access to specialist expertise, avoids the long wait time and high costs associated with an office visit, and maintains relationship continuity with the primary care physician (PCP). The PCP has dynamic access to specialist expertise and an opportunity for attainting a higher comfort level with chronic neurological care comanagement. Patient referrals for specialty care are high, while there has been projected shortage in nonprimary care specialties. The increasing prevalence of neurologic diseases associated with an aging population will likely continue to increase the demand for neurologists.

ConV2X 2019 Innovation Ignition Pitch Competition: An Interview with Award Recipient, Rachel Phillips, Founder, Med-Rok Systems Inc.

2020-03-31T15:39:39-07:00

The ConV2X Pitch Competition was held in Boston on October 15, 2019 during the ConVerge2Xcelerate (ConV2X) Third Annual Meeting. Six finalists presented their products to judges who were associated with Flare Capital, Pillar VC, Curisium, Harvard University, and UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Their challenge was to “Prove Market Value”— the theme of ConV2X 2019—and demonstrate comprehensive market solutions with compelling value propositions for stake holders, including providers, payers, pharma, employers, and consumers.

This interview features Rachel Phillips, Founder, Med-Rok Systems Inc. and Tory Cenaj, Publisher, Telehealth and Medicine Today.

The Era of Exponential Improvement in Healthcare?

2020-01-21T00:42:05-08:00

Medical Moon Shots and Space...The Final Frontier

2020-01-21T00:36:57-08:00

Building Blockchain powered Trusted Digital Health Services. Estonia

2020-01-21T00:41:22-08:00

Validated Use Cases

2020-01-21T00:40:31-08:00

Design Principles Of The Blockchain Network: Security, Scalability, And Sustainability By Design

2020-01-21T00:39:04-08:00

Blockchain-enabled Seamless Safe Notification Services

2020-01-21T00:37:39-08:00