A Telecare System for Use in Traditional Persian Medicine

Background: In Persian Medicine (PM), measuring the wrist temperature/humidity and pulse is one of the main methods for determining a person's health status and temperament. An important problem is the dependence of the diagnosis on the physician's interpretation of the above-mentioned criteria. Perhaps this is one reason why this method has yet to be combined with modern medical methods. Also, sometimes there is a need to use PM to diagnose patients remotely, especially during a pandemic. This brings up the question of how to implement PM into a telecare system. This study addresses these concerns and outlines a system for measuring pulse signals and temperament detection based on PM. Methods: A system was designed and clinically implemented based on PM that uses data from recorded thermal distribution, a temperament questionnaire, and a customized device that logs the pulse waves on the wrist. This system was used for patient care via telecare. Results: The temperaments of 34 participants were assessed by a PM specialist using the standardized Mojahedi Mizaj Questionnaire (MMQ). Thermal images of the wrist in the supine position (named Malmas in PM), the back of the hand, and the entire face were also recorded under the supervision of the physician. Also, the wrist pulse waves were evaluated by a customized pulse measurement device. Finally, the collected data could be sent to a physician via a telecare system for further interpretation and prescription of medications. Conclusion: This preliminary study focused on the implementation of a combinational hardware-software system for patient assessment based on PM. It appears that the design and construction of a customized device that can measure the pulse waves, and some other criteria, according to PM, is possible and can decrease the dependency of the diagnostic to PM specialists. Thus, it can be incorporated into a telemedicine system.

Feasibility Assessment of Using Smart Trackers in Telemedicine Systems to Remotely Monitor the Overall Health of Patients in Real-Time

Introduction. The development of telemedicine systems intended to remotely monitor the health status of patients constitutes one of the most promising areas of contemporary science. Particularly relevant is the use of such systems to track the health of surgically treated patients. Since such patients are mobile, sensors measuring vital signs should not cause any discomfort in regular use. Thus, wearable smart trackers can be used for these purposes.Aim. The paper aims to study the possibility of using smart trackers in a telemedicine system for monitoring patient health.Materials and methods. In the study, a series of measurements was performed using GSMIN WR 41 smart bracelets in order to estimate their accuracy when measuring pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation for different research subjects at rest and during intense physical exercises. In addition, the average measurement interval of the smart bracelet was determined; the operation of the smart bracelet in the telemedicine system for monitoring vital signs was considered.Results. The studies show that an average error in the measurement of vital signs (except for systolic pressure) using the smart bracelet does not exceed 10 %. In order to avoid the high error in measuring systolic pressure, an algorithm for assessing the general health of patients was developed. In addition, it is shown that the smart bracelet can detect an abrupt change in the vital signs of patients, with the average time of their measurement and data transmission to the server of the telemedicine system coming to 45 seconds.Conclusion. The study results indicate that smart bracelets can be used to remotely monitor the health of patients in real-time. These findings are confirmed by the telemedicine system designed on the basis of the smart bracelets considered in the paper.

A review of audiovisual telemedicine utilization and satisfaction assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction The use of telemedicine has broadened as technology that both restores continuity of care during disruptions in healthcare delivery and routinely provides primary care alone or in combination with in-person care. During the Covid-19 outbreak, the use of telemedicine as a routine care modality further accelerated. Methods A review of scientific studies that used telemedicine to provide care from December 2019 to December 2020 is presented. From an initial set of 2,191 articles, 36 studies are analyzed. Evidence is organized and evaluated according to the country of study, the clinical specialty, the technology platform used, and satisfaction and utilization outcomes. Results Thirty-one studies reported high patient satisfaction scores. Eight studies reported satisfaction from both providers and patients with no uniformly accepted assessment instrument. Eight studies conducted a descriptive analysis of telemedicine use and patient adoption patterns. Less than one-third of studies were controlled before/after studies. Most studies were conducted in the USA followed by Europe. Conclusions Reported satisfaction rates are high, consistent with previously documented research, whereas utilization rates increased significantly compared with the prepandemic period. Future work in developing standardized uniform assessment instruments, embedded with each telemedicine system, would increase versatility and agility in the assessment, boosting statistical power and the interpretation of results.

Physicians’ perception toward using telephone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea

Background: As the world faced a pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in 2019, telemedicine quickly spread and was widely adopted. This was the first instance where telephone consultations were temporarily allowed in Korea. We used data from the 2020 Korean Physician Survey and analyzed the physicians’ perceptions of telephone consultations, the reasons for providing these consultations, and the level of physician satisfaction after providing it.Current Concepts: A total of 6,342 respondents were selected for the final analysis of the research results. Regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, the data showed that most physicians had a negative perception (77.1%) toward the introduction of the telemedicine system. A third (31.1%) of physicians surveyed had provided medical treatment via telephone consultation. According to the position the physicians held, professors, fellows, self-employed physicians, and public health physicians had the most experience in this method of consultation. The use of telephone consultation was highest in the field of internal medicine (44.5%) treatment. Data also showed that most physicians (83.5%) who provided such consultations experienced difficulties in making a medical judgment that could ensure their patients’ safety.Discussion and Conclusion: The results of this study verified that physicians’ opinions about the telemedicine system differed according to service, area of specialization, region, and type of medical institution. A closer review and establishment of policy alternatives are required to explore the possible expansion of teleconsultations and related medical treatments in the future.

PP165 Bridging The Gap Of Health Services During The COVID-19 Pandemic Through Telemedicine

IntroductionHealth care for patients with chronic pathologies was scarce and limited worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenge for clinical and biomedical engineers is to develop a bridging system to maintain the basic health services for chronic pathologies. Populations living in low-income countries did not have access to basic health services during the pandemic and depended on the scarce resources of their emergency health system. There were also equity issues between urban and rural populations. In this context, telemedicine tools should be directed toward maintaining the basic health services for patients with chronic pathologies. This study evaluated the results of a telemedicine system in remote public hospitals in Paraguay to show how health care for patients with chronic pathologies has been maintained by providing access to tertiary level diagnostic services by specialists.MethodsThis descriptive study evaluated the results of using telemedicine between 2014 and 2020 for diagnosis in remote public hospitals to bridge the gap in providing basic health services for patients with chronic pathologies during the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsA total of 620,289 telediagnoses were performed in 67 hospitals. The 399,806 electrocardiogram diagnoses performed in 61 hospitals were normal (62%) or showed unspecified arrhythmias (13%) and sinus bradycardia (10%). The 207,597 teletomography tests performed in 12 hospitals were performed on the head because of motorcycle accidents and cerebrovascular diseases (54%), on the chest (14%), and other anatomical regions. The 12,867 electroencephalograms performed in 19 hospitals were for the antecedents of seizure (54%), evolutionary controls (14%), and headache (12%). The 19 ultrasound studies corresponded to prenatal controls.ConclusionsAlthough the telemedicine tool implemented in public health to bridge the gap in basic health services for patients with chronic pathologies during the COVID-19 pandemic offered better equity in the provision of services in remote locations, a widespread use assessment should be undertaken before this tool is adopted.

Telemonitoring system Diani intervention in type 1 diabetes patients: unacceptability and feasibility study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Telemedicine systems have been proven to be a successful tool for the supporting patients in diabetes mellitus selfmanagement. Despite this, a large percentage of patients do not use of all available functions of telemedicine systems. And this is one of the reasons, why patients do not meet the target compensation of their disease. This paper presents the current features of the Diani telemedicine system and the evaluation outcomes of its use. Dani has been designed to provide the patients with a comprehensive overview of their collected data including carbohydrate intake, insulin doses, physical activity level (steps) and blood glucose. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to evaluate the benefits of the Diani telemedicine system for the treatment of type 1 diabetes patient. The obtained suggestions will lead to further verification and development of the system in order to better compensate for diabetes mellitus. METHODS Data were obtained on the basis of a 24-week, randomized, crossover, intervention study. Patients responded to the standardized WHOQOL-BREF quality of life questionnaire and the system evaluation questionnaire. Both the level of glycated hemoglobin and the patient's weight were examined. The patient's usage of the telemedicine system was monitored and daily physical activity was measured. All data were being sent from the device to the Diani server using a real-time diabetic diary application. Wilcoxon and Friedman tests and LME method were used for data analysis. This study involved 10 patients (5 men and 5 women) who participated in the Diani system evaluation. The mean age of the participants was 47.7 ± 19.3 years; the mean duration of diabetes was 10.5 ± 8.6 years; and the mean HbA1c was 59.5 ± 6.7 mmol/mol. RESULTS The median number of days during which the patients tested the system was 84. After the intervention the mean HbA1c decreased by 4.35 mmol/mol (p = 0.011). Patients spent 18.6 ± 6.8 minutes on average using the application daily. After the Diani system intervention, the number of patients who measured their blood glucose at least 3 times a day increased by 30%. The graphical display of measured quantities, automatic transmission of measured data from the glucometer, compatibility and interconnection of individual devices when entering data were evaluated by patients in a positive way. CONCLUSIONS Diani system is beneficial for type 1 diabetes mellitus patients in terms of controlling their disease. Patients perceive it positively; it strengthens their education in the field of diabetes and understanding the influence of measured values on the compensation of their disease. Its use has a positive effect on the HbA1C level.

Empirical Study on Medical Information and Communication Technology System in Dentistry in Southeast Asia

In the field of dentistry, diagnoses based on data obtained using medical imaging modalities such as digital panoramic radiography and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) have been widely recommended for advanced dental care. In Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), there are place where advanced dental imaging devices are available in only one university dental hospital. The establishment of an information and communication technology (ICT) system has been expected as telemedicine system, for sharing medical imaging data among medical institutions in Laos. Recently, regional medical cooperation using telemedicine has been developed in Japan, and medical imaging data have been provided and shared among medical institutions, by using a mobile tablet terminal application. Therefore, we have carried out the empirical research on the telemedicine system with the university in Laos. The technologies and research results from our project will be presented in this chapter.

Advancement of telemedicine in Africa and the current laws: A case study of Nigeria

Advancements in technology have heralded more than a few cutting-edge benefits. Medicine is a vital sector of every nation and it has benefitted from these advancements in delivering health care services at a distance. The increasing use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by a vast population worldwide has been pivotal for telemedicine in recent years. Many developed and developing countries of the world have embraced telemedicine as a proactive means of delivering health care services to their citizens, although at different rates of development. The challenges associated with health care service and delivery is numerous and telemedicine has become one solution to counter some of these challenges. This paper seeks to examine the state of telemedicine in Nigeria. It identifies the gaps that ought to be filled in the Nigerian legal system and proposes relevant policies and legislation that must be formulated by government alongside appropriate authorities in order to ensure an optimum telemedicine system that meets the standards of conventional medicine.