Telehealth could prevent 27% of hospital readmissions

Since its emergence, telehealth technology has changed the face of monitoring patient health.

Now, according to research of a world leading university, telehealth solutions could help reduce hospital readmission rates by 27%.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth is the remote collection of patient data, and transferring the information to a device or database. It assists in the monitoring and diagnosis of patients, and enables more convenient medical assessment for patients. Because patients can be monitored remotely at home, it can also lead to reduced hospital costs at a time when resources on the NHS are strained.

The report by University of California-San Francisco found there is a need for better communication between patients, hospitals and care providers. By using telehealth, clinicians can be made more aware of any changes in patients’ health which may lead to readmission.

A previous study by researchers at Nuffield Trust found that telehealth solutions resulted in a 15% reduction in admissions to A&E, a 20% reduction in emergency admission and a 45% reduction in mortality rates. Find out more here.

Bluetooth Scales

Telehealth applies to weighing scales too. Over the last five years Bluetooth technology has, step by step, been used for medical weighing, allowing weighing scales to be integrated into telehealth systems. Now in 2016, over three quarters of Marsden medical scales are Bluetooth enabled.

Bluetooth technology means users of Marsden scales in the community can transfer weight data to their smartphones, and forward this information to hospitals, GPs or patient records.

Devices and databases will need to be configured to receive the data in this way, but once set up, will provide you with an increasingly popular way to capture and record patient information without the potential for human error.

At the time of writing, Marsden are the only European manufacturer of Bluetooth enabled weighing scales.

The Marsden M-430 is our most popular Bluetooth floor scale. This lightweight solution with Bluetooth connectivity is the ideal solution for GP surgeries and remote patient monitoring. It is MDD and Class III Approved, has a 220kg capacity and features including BMI and Tare.

Alternatively, the Marsden M-420 is a high accuracy Bluetooth scale with graduations to 50g. This robust yet lightweight scale has been recognised by telehealth platform providers as an ideal scale to provide weight management services with their systems. The 50g graduations mean it can also be used to sufficiently accurately weigh with long term conditions, such as COPD, chronic heart conditions and diabetes.

Wi-Fi-enabled Scales

From 2017, selected Marsden scales will be available with Wi-Fi technology.

Wi-Fi is perfectly suited to hospitals, as it allows the information to travel further distances (up to 100m, compared to 30m for Bluetooth), is more secure than Bluetooth and allows the information to be transferred directly from the scale the central database, updating the patient's records.

For more information on Marsden telehealth solutions click here or call 01709 364296.