MHP Community Health Tele-monitoring service helps improve quality of life; brings peace of mind

 

Erma Sparks of Oskaloosa is one of the first people in the region to benefit from Mahaska Health Partnership Community Health’s new home tele-monitoring system.

 

Oskaloosa resident Erma Sparks, 89, enjoys her morning routine. At 10 a.m. each day, she is greeted with a friendly electronic voice reminding her that it’s time to collect vital signs for her daily check-up.

The simple steps Erma is carefully directed through each day brings a sense of security and peace of mind to her, her family and her healthcare providers. Erma is one of the first to benefit from Mahaska Health Partnership (MHP) Community Health’s new patient-centered Home Health Tele-monitoring System.

“It’s like I have a nurse visiting everyday,” Sparks explains. “It’s easy, and only takes about six to seven minutes to complete.”

According to MHP Community Health Coordinator Denise Howe, RN, tele-monitoring devises utilize advanced technology that allows nurses to collect vital signs, including blood pressure, oxygen saturation level, heart rate and weight. It also asks a series of individualized questions relating to how the client is feeling that are answered by pressing a button. The information collected daily gives nurses and physicians a more complete picture of the client’s health.

The Honywell HomMed Health Monitoring System is an FDA Class II, Hospital Grade Medical Device that is about the size of a clock-radio. It includes a digital scale, a custom-designed blood pressure cuff that can be easily positioned with one hand and a simple-to-use finger sensor that measures heart rate and oxygen saturation.  

Howe said the medical information measured is securely and confidentially transmitted over the phone line to the Community Health office, where it is reviewed daily by a home health nurse. “The system is an excellent management tool for patients with chronic illnesses and other conditions requiring more frequent, in-home medical attention,” Howe explained.

“We are able to detect even small changes in a client’s health, allowing us to address problems early by contacting the client and, when appropriate, notifying the client’s physician.  Home tele-monitoring is a proactive approach to health care, allowing us to detect health problems before they escalate into a more serious condition that could result in an emergency department visit or a hospital stay.”

MHP Community Health Registered Nurses Laurie Schelker and Jean Blake were instrumental in helping select the tele-monitoring system, based on their client’s health needs. Blake said that with approval from the MHP Board of Trustees, they were able to purchase 15 monitors designed for the next level of patient care.  In rural home health settings, both nurses agree that the system is truly cutting edge.

“For people with chronic medical conditions, such as respiratory illnesses and cardiac conditions, home tele-monitoring can dramatically improve quality of life,” Schelker stressed. “It can provide clients with more control of their health, and to the best extent possible, reduce or prevent re-hospitalizations.”

Stephen Mineart, MD, of Family Medical Center, PC in Oskaloosa, is Spark’s primary care physician. Dr. Mineart said home tele-monitoring is a great benefit for some of his patients because it allows them to stay at home with more security. He said the biggest benefit is being able to detect even slight medical changes much earlier and address any issues before they escalate and require a trip to the emergency department or an inpatient stay at the hospital.

“Specifically with our aging population, their medical conditions are more sensitive to changes,” Dr. Mineart explained. “We want to be able to monitor their condition closely and with the home tele-monitoring devise, we are able to. It is an important medical tool for picking up on changes that occur suddenly or unexpectedly.”