PGI will soon introduce such bluetooth-enabled cellphones which can transfer physiological data from a measuring device to a doctor’s cellphone. The revolutionary technique is part of the three-year telemedicine project at PGI, funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“Both the measuring device and the cellphone, which supports the device, will be provided to our health workers in the community,” said Dr Meenu Singh, in-charge of the telemedicine project.
“The worker has to measure the blood glucose level and connect the device to the cellphone. Once the data are transferred to the phone via bluetooth these can be sent to the concerned doctor’s cellphone via sms,” Dr Singh said.
The institute will be buying measuring devices for blood pressure, blood sugar, electrocardiogram (ECG) for heart patients and spirometer for patients suffering from respiratory problems. The software in the phones also enables them to generate graphs and provide a comparative study of a few days/weeks data.
“If a heart patient, for instance, experiences chest pain, he can immediately send an ECG report to the doctor. The doctor can then determine if the chest pain is a heart attack or regular pain,” said Dr Singh.
Initially, the institute will buy a limited number of sets.
“The advantage is that the test results will come directly to our cellphone. So we don’t have to verify the readings via teleconferencing,” she said.
The telemedicine project involves health workers going into the community and taking services to the patient’s doorsteps. “The patient avoids coming to the hospital for routine check-ups as the mobile vans will be going around on a regular basis,” added Dr Singh.
The future, according to Dr Singh, is in telemedicine. “Almost all our diabetic and heart patients have cellphones. And since all such patients will require monitoring of physiological data for the rest of their lives, they can think of buying the sets in the long run,” Dr Singh said.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Swaha Sahoo
Quelle/Source: Chandigarh Newsline, 09.09.2007
