Home Monitoring Devices May Ease World Health Burden

Many believe that devices that allow doctors to monitor patients\' vital signs at home provide a potential way to save medical costs and keep older people away from nursing homes.
According to the Rand investigation commissioned by Royal Philips Electronics, a home-based medical device manufacturer, released on Tuesday, this is proven.
Patient advocacy groups and others in six countries surveyed by policy makers, providers have found that most people believe that home health care technology has the potential to reduce the pressure on the health care system, these systems will soon be blocked by elderly patients with chronic diseases.
But the evidence is still not enough to prove the cost of the equipment.
Effective and ready for wide adoption.
\"These new ideas can be very attractive.
They move care from expensive institutions to the patient\'s home, \"said Soeren Mattke, a senior scientist at Rand, who led the study.
\"But given that these are so new, they don\'t have a place in our traditional health care system,\" Mattke said in a telephone interview . \".
The release of the report coincides with the call by Catherine Sibelius, Minister of Health and Human Services, and Donald Berwick, administrator of the centers for health insurance and Medicaid Services, to pay a large fee
Study on the scale of crowd home monitoring equipment in the elderly medical insurance plan.
The survey came from more than 100 interviews with researchers, suppliers, regulators and others in China, France, Germany, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States, and a review of the research on the effectiveness of home health care technology.
These technologies include widely used technologies such as glucose monitors for people with diabetes, and advanced remote monitoring devices that allow doctors to collect daily information about the patient\'s weight, blood pressure, heart rate and other health measures
The report found that experts basically agreed that home health care technology can help meet the growing demand for care for an aging population around the world, many of whom suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes.
\"For example, in the United States, older people (65 years or older) account for only 12% of the total population, but 34% of total health care spending,\" the report said, indicating that, in most countries, medical spending has grown faster than gross domestic product.
\"This is a global problem,\" Mattke said . \"
\"There are not many doctors and nurses in the world.
By 2014, he said, China will have more chronic diseases than the United States. S. population.
While there is not enough evidence yet that these technologies will actually be helpful or cost-effective, there is some evidence that these technologies may be helpful.
The best evidence so far is from the United States. S.
Use a remote monitoring device to help veterans manage the Veterans Health Administration for diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic heart failure.
A 2008 VA study of 17,025 family telehealth patients showed that these devices reduced the average number of days in hospital by 25% and the number of days in hospital by 19%.
\"The trend is clear,\" said Walter Van quiren, general manager of home surveillance at Philips Healthcare, which paid for research.
\"We must move forward on this topic.
\"In addition to hospital equipment for sleep therapy, respiratory care and CT scans, the Dutch enterprise group also produces lighting products and consumer electronics.
The company said last week it wanted a new U. S.
Medical reform law
Improving patient care while controlling medical costs
Will drive demand for the company\'s home surveillance equipment.