Published simultaneously with the BMJ’s WSD results article, the Nuffield Trust’s part of the analysis: patients’ hospital use and mortality. “For intervention patients, the overall costs of hospital care (including emergency admissions, elective admissions and outpatient attendances), were £188 per patient less than for those in the control group. However, this cost difference was not statistically significant.” The impact of telehealth and telecare: evaluation of the Whole System Demonstrator project.
You may also want to read the views of one of the authors on Adam Steventon’s blog.
I am struggling to find a positive. Lots of neutrals and a couple of negatives but nothing that stands out as defining.
If I was a GP and I am now in charge of my own commissioning – would I commission Telehealth or would I stick with ususal care?
Based on this I would stick with usual care because I know it inside and out and I have a clear back up route through secondary care and on. I would give it another ten years and see what happens.
I will let people do their funny little Apps that look after their BP etc and let them self monitor.