Electronic House Calls Coming to Medicine

September 18, 2000

The days of “house calls” might be returning for those patients that are unable to leave the confines of their homes either because of illness or the ailments that come with age. However, the manner in which the house call is made differs from the days of television’s Marcus Welby, M.D. Panasonic is in the process of testing and awaiting approval from the FDA for its telehomecare technology. This system consists of a central server, a terminal for the doctor, and a terminal for the patient. The patient’s terminal is something like a small television with a touchable screen that allows the patient to send test results and questions to the doctor; enables the patient to send pictures to the doctor; and assists the patient in performing any one of the tests included in the system. Inside the box portion of the patient’s terminal are the materials and instructions that are necessary to measure cardiograms, temperature, blood-sugar, blood pressure, and other medical tests. Once the patient follows the instructions and takes the necessary tests, they are sent to the doctor via email, and the doctor then analyzes them for significant changes.

Communication between the doctor and patient can occur via email or video camera, depending on the nature of the call.