Home Telehealth Services Enhance Chronic Disease Management

Posted: January 28, 2008

Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society

Loyal E. has COPD. Over the years he had frequent hospitalizations for pneumonia and other lung problems. In 2003 he was hospitalized two times in six weeks with pneumonia.

Each hospitalization lasted 32 days with many of those spent in the Intensive Care Unit. After the second hospitalization Loyal was placed in a nursing home, where he lived for 3 months.

When Loyal was able to be discharged, a telehealth monitor was placed in his home to enhance the management of his chronic disease.

Loyal has been receiving home telehealth services for 4 years and has been hospitalized only once in that time. His audio/video telehealth monitor allows nurses to hear lung sounds in real time.

Now, when Loyal is not feeling well, or if his wife sees other changes in him, she can call the home care office and the nurse can connect with them.

Often changes in his lung sounds are detected and he is sent to the Doctor’s office instead of the emergency room. Telehealth has allowed Loyal and his wife to take control of his disease instead of the disease controlling them.

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