GOALS OF WORK: This study aimed to use an integrated system (Medical Care Continuity (MCC) system) consisting of computer, video telephone, and a high-definition camera to monitor at home chemotherapy side effects in cancer outpatients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The system allowed 24 h/day video consultation with an intermediate medical call center with possible connection to a specialized hospital if necessary. All patients were provided with internationally validated and project-oriented questionnaires exploring patients' health status and opinions on usefulness and complexity of study devices. The content of each call was recorded on a computer database. An approximate estimate of avoided hospital admissions was calculated. MAIN RESULTS: Median duration of experimentation and frequency of patient/doctor contacts were 2.1 months and 4.2 contact per week, respectively. Overall, a 98% positive opinions on the experimental system was reported at the end of the study by all participants, with a 21% conversion rate with respect to the opinions gathered at study entry. Changes in patient management after a medical call were made in 32% of cases. It was calculated that approximately 2.2 per month unnecessary hospital admissions were avoided. CONCLUSIONS: The MCC system was well managed by both patients and caregivers. These results show that it has the potential to improve medical assistance by virtue of a constant access to medical advice and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.
GOALS OF WORK: This study aimed to use an integrated system (Medical Care Continuity (MCC) system) consisting of computer, video telephone, and a high-definition camera to monitor at home chemotherapy side effects in cancer outpatients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The system allowed 24 h/day video consultation with an intermediate medical call center with possible connection to a specialized hospital if necessary. All patients were provided with internationally validated and project-oriented questionnaires exploring patients' health status and opinions on usefulness and complexity of study devices. The content of each call was recorded on a computer database. An approximate estimate of avoided hospital admissions was calculated. MAIN RESULTS: Median duration of experimentation and frequency of patient/doctor contacts were 2.1 months and 4.2 contact per week, respectively. Overall, a 98% positive opinions on the experimental system was reported at the end of the study by all participants, with a 21% conversion rate with respect to the opinions gathered at study entry. Changes in patient management after a medical call were made in 32% of cases. It was calculated that approximately 2.2 per month unnecessary hospital admissions were avoided. CONCLUSIONS: The MCC system was well managed by both patients and caregivers. These results show that it has the potential to improve medical assistance by virtue of a constant access to medical advice and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.
Authors: Thomas J Smith; James Khatcheressian; Gary H Lyman; Howard Ozer; James O Armitage; Lodovico Balducci; Charles L Bennett; Scott B Cantor; Jeffrey Crawford; Scott J Cross; George Demetri; Christopher E Desch; Philip A Pizzo; Charles A Schiffer; Lee Schwartzberg; Mark R Somerfield; George Somlo; James C Wade; James L Wade; Rodger J Winn; Antoinette J Wozniak; Antonio C Wolff Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2006-05-08 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: I H Kunkler; R J Prescott; R J Lee; J A Brebner; J A Cairns; R G Fielding; A Bowman; G Neades; A D F Walls; U Chetty; J M Dixon; M E Smith; T W Gardner; M Macnab; S Swann; J R Maclean Journal: Eur J Cancer Date: 2007-10-24 Impact factor: 9.162
Authors: B Larcher; E Arisi; F Berloffa; F Demichelis; C Eccher; E Galligioni; M Galvagni; G Martini; A Sboner; L Tomio; G Zumiani; A Graiff; S Forti Journal: Med Inform Internet Med Date: 2003-06