JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Telecare is a health service that involves home installation of a number of information technology (IT) support systems for individuals with complex needs such as physically less able people and the elderly.

Objective:

The aims of the study were: to construct a descriptive summary of patient enrolled in the telecare service and utilisation of the ongoing telecare programme in Northern Ireland (NI), and to evaluate hospital-based service usage by telecare patients before and after installation of the telecare equipment.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving more than 2000 patients. A descriptive data analysis was performed including installation of the different telecare equipment components, alarms call and healthcare utilisation before and after installation of the telecare service.

Results:

A total of 2387 patients were enrolled in telecare service over the observation period. Patients’ mean age of 78 years and median of 81 years . More females (67.7%) were enrolled on the service than males. The number of calls/alarms sent to the co-ordinating centre was highest in patients ≥85 years old. Calls were similarly distributed by gender. Non-elective hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, emergency room visits and outpatient clinic visits were higher per year after installation of the telecare equipment than during the period before installation.

Conclusions:

Despite the likely benefits of the telecare service in providing peace of mind in patients and their relatives, hospital-based healthcare utilisation significantly increased after enrolment in the service. This is likely to reflect the increasing healthcare needs over time in an ageing population.