ETC welcomes you to our scientific track where we present 45 research projects from all over Europe. We are kicking off the track with the two abstracts that received the highest score of the 76 abstracts submitted. Meet Ioanna Sokoreli from Philips Research, the Netherlands and Monica Strand from Oslo University Hospital and Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Norway.
Left: Ioanna Sokoreli, right: Monica Strand.
Ioanna Sokoreli describes their abstract, Effectiveness of telehealth for heart failure management in routine practice that in this abstract: -We assessed the effect of routine use of home telemonitoring on the risk of re-admission to hospital at 90 days and one year time periods amongst patients with heart failure. WE concluded that in a standard care setting, patients with heart failure receiving telehealth after discharge have fewer unplanned readmissions compared to those patients who were not on the telehealth system. This result could encourage healthcare systems to use telemonitoring in the post-discharge treatment period in heart failure patient populations to improve their clinical outcomes. The greatest value would be achieved when using telemonitoring in combination with the readmission risk index model to assign telemonitoring to those patients that are most likely to have the greatest benefit from it. Her co-authors on the abstract are Daniele De Massari, Steffen Pauws, Jarno Riistama, Gert-Jan de Vries, Ewout Steyerberg, Amanda Crundall-Goode, Kevin Goode, Riet Dierckx, John Cleland and Andrew Clark
Monica Strand’s abstract An Internet-based collaboration tool for personal recovery: How did service users and providers address and align expectations about collaborating through the tool? highlights the importance of addressing expectations and reach agreements of how to collaborate in the use of an interactive Internet intervention designed to facilitate personal recovery processes. -These processes are facilitated through support for e.g. social support from peers; mapping life domains; coping exercises; diary; and secure messaging, she says. – To reach a common understanding or a lack of thereof between service users and their providers seem to impact the experienced benefit of the intervention. Her co-authors on the abstract are Deede Gammon and Lillian Sofie Eng.
We ask the researchers why the topic of telemedicine is important now and how will it be interesting in the future?
Ioanna Sokoreli answers: -The use of telehealth in Europe has primarily been limited to studies, pilots and small scale programmes; it has not yet managed to break through to become routine in clinical practice. Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust in the UK has a long history of telemonitoring of their heart failure patients. A large proportion of their heart failure patients in Hull are offered Motiva tele monitoring as a post discharge service. In this abstract we investigated into and showed the benefit of telemonitoring as part of routine care.
-Today, we take digital technologies for granted in communicating with family, friends and businesses in our daily lives. It is easy to forget that digital communication with service users can have clinical implications for better and worse. As demands for person-centered care increases, it is vital that we gain more knowledge about how technology can be exploited to enhance partnerships in care, says Monica Strand.
What are you hoping to get out of your participation at ETC2016?
Ioanna Sokoreli: We would like to discuss with the participants of the European Telemedicine society conference about the findings of our research and get the most recent insights in the domain.
Monica Strand: I hope to get inspired by and learn from other people interested in how technology could transform today’s practice toward practices better aligned with service users’ needs and preferences to support empowerment and wellbeing, and also networking with old and new colleagues.