Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust has reported a reduction in A&E admissions and bed days among a group of high-dependency patients following the introduction of a new remote-monitoring service for people living with heart and lung disease.
The service allows users to check their vital signs at home and was designed to improve quality of life for patients and free up hospital beds and surgery time.
The technology enables clinicians to monitor trends and intervene if readings move outside individual thresholds. It encourages patients to recognise changing symptoms and promotes self-management of their conditions.
The remote monitoring complements the work of the trust’s heart failure team which attends to patients in clinic, at home and via telephone consultation.
Analysis by the trust of the six months before and after the introduction of the service has revealed the following among a cohort of service users:
- Bed days reduced by 88 per cent
- Accident and emergency admissions reduced by 89 per cent
- GP visits reduced by 65 per cent
- Out-of-hours appointments reduced by 65 per cent*.
click here to find out more.