Columbia University's Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDEATel) project: technical implementation.
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Date
2001-12-25
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Abstract
The Columbia University Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine IDEATel project is a four year demonstration project funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with the overall goal of evaluating the feasibility acceptability effectiveness and cost effectiveness of telemedicine The focal point of the intervention is the home telemedicine unit HTU which provides four functions synchronous videoconferencing over standard telephone lines electronic transmission for fingerstick glucose and blood pressure readings secure Web based messaging and clinical data review and access to Web based educational materials The HTU must be usable by elderly patients with no prior computer experience Providing these functions through the HTU requires tight integration of six components the HTU itself case management software a clinical information system Web based educational material data security and networking and telecommunications These six components were integrated through a variety of interfaces providing a system that works well for patients and providers With more than 400 HTUs installed IDEATel has demonstrated the feasibility of large scale home telemedicine