The clinical achievements of a geriatric telehealth project in its first year

Abstract

We performed a feasibility study to test the validity of conducting two standard cognitive assessments via videoconferencing. There was a high correlation between the scores from a face-to-face assessment and those from a videoconference. A second trial was conducted with patients living in a rural community, examined both face to face and via videoconferencing. Again, the validity and reliability of the assessment tools were demonstrated for videoconferencing. The acceptability of the technology to patients and clinicians was also shown. As a result of the trials and at the request of rural participants, geriatric telehealth services are now being provided to a rural aged care assessment team (ACAT) on a fee-for-service basis. The success of this project is reflected in its senior clinical and academic 'champions', the establishment of a dedicated telehealth resource and the development of protocols.

Innovations in health service organization and delivery in northern rural and remote regions: a review of the literature

“…Based on the literature reviewed, the strongest evidence supporting the use of telehealth comes from the fields of dermatology (22,23), psychiatry (24,25), radiology (23,26) and geriatric care (27,28). There is also evidence that telehealth can be an effective tool in after-hours triage (29).…”

Impact of technology‐based care and management systems on aged care outcomes in Australia

“…This revealed a number of papers looking at impacts of ICT across the healthcare sector. Most published research focused on the impact of telehealth, especially with regard to keeping older people in their own homes for longer; however, far fewer were found focusing specifically on long‐term or residential aged care (Saligari et al ., 2002; Soar & Seo 2007).…”

Videoconference diagnosis and management of Choctaw Indian dementia patients

“…(10, 11, 12) VC evaluation of language has also been performed with AD patients. (13) There is a small literature on the use of videoconferencing (VC) to diagnose and treat cognitive disorders in older adults (14, 15, 16, 17) including a publication on the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD) in persons with Down syndrome. (18) A description of several programs follows.…”