The purpose of the CHL’s telemedicine pilot project is not to replace medical consultations with video conferences, but to instead focus on telesurveillance. Specifically, the project focuses on monitoring chronically-ill patients.
In December, the hospital launched the project with ten patients suffering from cardiac insufficiency - or heart failure.
Françoise Lenoir must measure her pulse and blood pressure each day, weigh herself, and ensure her legs haven’t swelled. For two months now, Lenoir, who was diagnosed with cardiac insufficiency years ago, puts all the data into a special application at the same time every morning. The cardiac department at the CHL has access to the app, allowing the unit to monitor her vitals.
Lenoir explained that the process was not particularly complicated. She went to the hospital, downloaded the app with a member of staff, and set it up there so she could then manage to use the app by herself.
Every day, someone checks up on her vitals to ensure everything is okay. On one day, staff noticed her blood pressure was too low and the system showed a red alert. Then, the patient is called and asked to check her blood pressure again to ensure the alert is not an error with the app. If the patient then confirms the value, the doctor is informed and takes action.
As Fabrice Perrot, the head of the telesurveillance project, explained, all of their patients are rather fragile and require regularly monitoring. The app allows the hospital to monitor patients daily and anticipate eventual complications, such as water retention, artery hypertension, shortness of breath, and more. Crucially, the app allows the cardiac department to resolve issues before needing to hospitalise patients.
However, there are limits to the project. Not every patient is able to check their vitals and input the data on the app.
Medical telesurveillance is consequently only possible with certain types of patients. Nevertheless, the pilot project has shown a positive impact on these patients. Perrot noted that patients have become far more diligent in taking treatment and monitoring their weight.
As of the first week of March, the CHL has expanded its telesurveillance capacities to an additional 40 patients who take blood thinners. In the future, people with pulmonary issues, diabetes, or Parkinsons, could also be monitored through such apps, CHL director Dr Romain Nati said. He stressed that developing telemedicine is one of the hospital’s core priorities, which is why the hospital has self-funded the pilot project. At times however, the National Health Fund has also contributed.
Dr Nati admitted that the financial framework will be adapted if the project gets rolled out through other departments. The core element, he stressed, is that telemedicine does not make the CNS more expensive but fundamentally improves it.
For her part, Lenoir has seen the telemedicine project as positive. She believes her quality of life has significantly improved, especially as she is comfortable using the app. The patient feels so secure using the app that she’s booked a holiday, coronavirus permitting, because she is no longer scared of being away from the doctor. “I know that I’ll be monitored and I’ll have wifi at the hotel. My app will work and I can continue sending data to the hospital,” she told RTL.
