Advances in Wireless Infrastructure & Applications – Are they enough for an effective Telehealth Implementation?
That wireless applications & infrastructure can have tremendous impact on the telehealth landscape is now well accepted. However, it is important to realize that wireless technologies alone cannot deliver the promised benefits and many challenges still exist before these promises turn to reality. In a telehealth scenario there are 4 facets that need to work together effectively to create maximum value. In this series of blogs, we will look at each of these facets, the role of wireless technologies in each and the gaps that need to be filled before it can be put to use successfully.
Interaction – By interaction we refer to the way the technology will be used by the different human stakeholders in telehealth – Patient, Relatives & Care providers. Wireless/mobile applications can be a great enabler for relatives and care providers – providing access to real-time information & alerts thereby ensuring immediate care and support during emergencies. However when it comes to patients, particularly the aged, information via mobile devices does not necessarily provide the best interaction model. Rather it will be the more traditional channels of telephony and television that can be most effective. It is imperative for providers to choose the best interaction method based on the stakeholder profile for effective care via telehealth.
Interoperability- Interoperability is required at different levels. At the patient’s home, it is about the different devices and systems being able to exchange information and interwork to ensure that critical real-time patient data is transmitted securely and effectively to the back-end. At the back-end interoperability is about the ability to aggregate this information arriving from multiple devices with different contexts and deliver the same to the provider information systems for effective execution of care workflows. There have been significant innovations in the form of wearable devices, digital versions of commonly used home health devices with the ability to transmit data wirelessly to the back-end etc. Unfortunately, interoperability was not a feature that has been a given in these devices – with most vendors delivering end-to-end systems for managing the information. Recent alliances (e.g. Continua Health Alliance – www.continuaalliance.org) have been pushing towards standardization in this matter and this has resulted in device level recommendations (e.g. Zigbee Healthcare Profile – www.zigbee.org) that can go a long way in solving the interoperability issue. However, this is currently a work-in-progress area rather than one that has completely evolved. The matters are further complicated when we consider the interoperability issues at the back-end with HL7 and non-HL7 systems having to interoperate and process the information from home.
More to follow…
