There are pros and cons to telecare and the way it is being implemented, and Guy Dewsbury’s recently revised SMART Thinking telecare FAQ webpage, pins them down in a comprehensive and readable way. It’s quite long, but don’t stop when you get to the ‘What are the key issues that face the telecare designer/installer?’ section that starts about halfway down. Guy’s ‘Breaking the…’ sections that follow are full of gems.
His final section on ‘containment’ versus ‘enablement’ should be compulsory reading for everyone in the field. Read it here.
Steve,
Agreed, Guy Dewsbury’s article is very insightful, as well as practical.
There is an analogous situation occurring in the U.S. My travels to the UK last summer left me with a clear impression that you are focusing on a telecare model (social/activity monitoring) while the U.S. is much more focused on a telehealth (vital sign, medical) model.
While I would like to tell you that remote patient monitoring in the U.S. is being driven by interest in quality improvement (ENABLEMENT), the reality is that it is being driven by payer’s interest in cost CONTAINMENT.
Vince