Components

Due to the technical requirements, user support is crucial for the long-term use of telemedical methods with active patient interaction. Although the design and technology development has been based on the highest level of user-friendliness, especially for the older generation, the application initially presents a certain hurdle for some. TELBIOMED’s Disease Management Solutions support the technical helpdesk with the necessary information for rapid assistance and enable the documentation of helpdesk activities independently and separately from the medical data area.

An important goal of consistent use is to avoid complications and reduce the risk of secondary diseases. Specific algorithms and rule sets are used to ensure that the right decisions are made from the large amount of data and that the necessary interventions can be set. The basis for this are, among other things, modalities that are illustrated in medical guidelines.

For scaling up, the rapid and efficient handling of general medical questions by a call center as a first point of contact is important. The flexible architecture allows a technical and organizational connection to TELBIOMED’s Disease Management Solutions, which allows a contractual partner to choose the strategy of phase-dependent outsourcing (e.g. if the number of users increases).

Interoperability with existing information and communication technology (ICT) in health care is an important success factor for the sustainable use of telemonitoring solutions. In the case of proof-of-concept applications, this can be dispensed with in favour of flexibility and user benefit. For routine applications, however, the highest possible level of technical integration must be achieved. This pays for itself by avoiding duplicate entries, automatic data transfer and, as a result, higher data quality.

The use of telemonitoring goes hand in hand with the use of measuring devices to record vital parameters. In some cases, the devices used are issued to the patients. By supporting device logistics, the output and maintenance of medical measuring devices is supported in small but also larger, scaled deployment scenarios.

For the persons caring for the patient (doctors, therapists, nursing staff), the application creates a new field of activity, which also involves a time expenditure. The actual personnel deployment depends very much on the application scenario, the medical indication and also the stage of illness of the patients. If required, the platform supports the users in listing activities (e.g. feedback creation) as a basis for the fee payment to the respective contractual partner.

In the Austrian health care system, but also in other countries, access to health data will be possible electronically across institutional boundaries already now or in the foreseeable future. For a seamless integration of telemonitoring data, standardised document profiles according to the HL7 standard for Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) are used. A further simplification of telemedical support can be expected in particular through the availability of e-medication.