Denmark runs telehealth pilots

Denmark has rolled-out two telehealth pilots it now intends to implement nationally over the next three years.

One of the pilots, already rolled-out at the Odense University Hospital, involves using a video conferencing service to allow foreign patients who don’t speak Danish to communicate with hospital staff.

The service uses a video conferencing system, linked to a call centre with multi-lingual operators, who can translate a persons needs or problems immediately to help them receive a better diagnosis.

Claus said “The way we want to deal with the amount of foreign patients that we have difficulty communicating with is by using a video conferencing system and using a centre with interpreters. The method has already been tested in a pilot for the last five months and shown that much better interpretations including professional interpretations have been made.”

The first interpretation centre was opened at the beginning of June 2009. Following its success, regional implementation of the system is expected by 2010, with a national roll-out to be completed by 2012.

A further telehealth pilot was also rolled-out at the beginning of September to monitor around 800,000 unstable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients from their home.

Pedersen Claus, international manager at the Danish Centre for Health Telematics, said: “When a patient is admitted into hospital, we identify within 48 hours whether they would be more comfortable at home, as soon as they are discharged the solution is set up in their home within 2-4 hours.”

Patients receive a suitcase of video conferencing equipment and moitoring devices and the nurses do their normal rounds over a video conference system where they record the patients’ vital signs.

The whole service, which is costing more than €800,000, is outsourced to MedSat.

Pederson added: “The solution has reduced admissions by more than 50% within three months, although last time I checked I think it was almost 80%. It has also had a very positive impact in the way it has improved compliance and empowerment of patients.”

“The cost effectiveness has not been as much as had hoped but there has still been an improvement by reducing costs of around 5%.”

The solution is expected to be rolled-out nationally from 2012.

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MedSat