Guest posting by Sonali Mahendran
CliniCloud, a company founded by two Australian doctors, is currently taking pre-orders for a wireless non-contact thermometer and a smartphone-enabled stethoscope.
These devices now take the concept of telemedicine to a new level. Technology is being used in implementing telemedicine and telehealth to improve patient care. Video visits are beneficial to patients who prefer to receive care from the comfort of their homes; travel time, parking, and wait times all complicate a patient’s hospital visit. On the other hand, doctors and nurses can attend to more patients’ needs in video visits as opposed to person-to-person visits. In fact, in an article in Health Affairs, Joseph Kvedar mentions that in a program at Partners HealthCare, more than 3,000 congestive heart failure patients received care via in-home monitoring of weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and pulse oximetry. In this study, three to four nurses care for a daily panel of 250 patients, whereas in a certified home care agency, these same nurses would only care for four to six patients daily. This strategy allows the hospital to cut down on costs, while allowing doctors and nurses to attend to patients with more demanding health care needs.
According to Dr. Andrew Lin, cofounder and CEO of CliniCloud, the stethoscope and thermometer are the two most important tools that are used in medicine for diagnosing common ailments. By providing patients with access to these tools, doctors empower patients; patients can engage in self-care. With these devices, patients can accurately record vital signs and can share this data with their primary care doctor or even a network of physicians. Also, this device serves as a means of tracking health between hospital visits.
The CliniCloud app, for both Android and Apple devices, guides users through correct use of the devices, allows them to store a history of readings, and create multiple profiles for different family members. Another feature provides baselines to help users determine whether or not their readings are normal. This feature lends itself to a significant concern. When I interviewed a nurse at Texas Children’s Hospital for a team project, she revealed a key point regarding patients’ knowledge. In hospitalizing infants diagnosed with a congenital heart disease, it is important to inform the family that data points that they find online for children with normal hearts will deviate from their child’s readings. In fact, she suggests providing the “normal” data points for a child with that specific heart disease.
This concept applies to every patient. Every individual is different, and in fact, a true “normal” reading may not even exist. The world is transforming and technology is establishing its prevalence in all disciplines. There are definitely several positive aspects, but it is also important to become aware of and improve upon potential negative aspects. And sometimes, solutions may be nearly impossible. Consider, the concept of empathy, for example. How do you incorporate that into a fast-paced world? You can’t eliminate it, as patients prioritize empathy when evaluating their care experience. How do we remind doctors that the readings and data they see are not the complete narratives of each individual; how do we keep them from associating patients with a number or an ailment?
Inspiration: “CliniCloud Offers Consumers Smartphone-Enabled Stethoscope, Thermometer for Video Visits” – Jonah Comstock from Mobihealthnews