Some patients won't have to go to the doctor anymore to get their vital signs recorded. The local health agency the Good Samaritan Society is piloting the use of "telehealth". It uses a phone line to transmit data about a patient’s health.
Nicole Sisney is director of the Good Samaritan Society. “This system is just a unit that sits on a night stand or a table," she says. "It has a scale, a blood pressure cuff, and a pulse oximeter that reads their vital signs.”
When a patient takes their blood pressure or pulse, the unit sends the data to nurses. Patients don’t have to go to the doctor as often. And, care providers can address things as small as a two-pound weight gain - before it becomes a bigger problem.
Telehealth is already used in other states. Sisney says they saw need for their patients who have chronic diseases like Congestive Heart Failure or diabetes. They received a grant to fund units for 6 patients now. They hope to send them home with all clients soon.