New data from 11 research studies conducted by the Center for Connected Health in Boston demonstrate that connected health technologies can help patients manage their care, Healthcare IT News reports.
Initial feedback from participants in the center's Connected Cardiac Care program, which provides non-homebound heart failure patients with home telemonitoring equipment to transmit their daily vital signs and symptom reports, was overwhelmingly positive, Joseph Kvedar, founder and director of the center, said.
Kvedar said that 100% of the participants said the program improved their overall health and helped them avoid going to the hospital.
In a separate study, diabetes patients reported that blood sugar monitoring was most valuable when newly diagnosed or when they were trying to regain control of their diabetes. Electronic communication between physicians and patients in addition to scheduled visits also aided diabetes management, Healthcare IT News reports.
"The technologies are rapidly evolving, giving us increasingly consumer-friendly, simple and effective tools to deliver quality care outside of a medical setting," Kvedar said.
Researchers conducted the studies at Partners HealthCare's affiliated hospitals, which include Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Kvedar presented the studies' findings this week at the 13th annual telemedicine conference in Seattle (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 4/9).