Use of TeleHomecare to Improve Home Health Services

U.S. Department of Commerce
Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program
11/01/97 - 06/30/00

Kathryn H. Dansky, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration

Through the combined efforts of Penn State, the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Philadelphia, and American Telecare, Inc., this project evaluated use of an innovative telecommunications technology in providing home health services to insulin-dependent diabetics in Philadelphia County, PA. TeleHomecare's fundamental difference is its reliance on a new data compression algorithm to deliver video, voice, and data over plain old telephone systems (POTS).

TeleHomecare project goals were to enhance access to health care and patient education, improve service quality by monitoring critical life functions and interviewing when necessary, reduce costs associated with caring for high-risk patients, and empower them to participate actively in their recovery process. Using an experimental design, outcomes for TeleHomecare patients and traditional home health patients were compared.

This project was made possible in part by a grant from the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. This project will be financed in part ($568,378; 46.2% of total costs) with Federal money. The balance ($661,201; 53.8% of total costs) will be financed by nongovernmental sources.

Related Publications

Ibrahim, I.A., Kang, E., and Dansky, K.H. (2005) Polypharmacy and possible drug-drug interactions among diabetic patients receiving home health care services. Home Health Care Services Quarterly, 24(1/2):87-99.

Dansky, K.H., K.H. Bowles, and L. Palmer. (2003). Clinical outcomes of telehomecare. Journal of Information Technology in Healthcare, 1(1), 61-74.

Bowles, K.H. and K. Dansky (2002). "Teaching Self-Management of Diabetes Via Telehomecare." Home Healthcare Nurse. 20(1):36-42. |Abstract|

Dansky, K. and K.H. Bowles (2002). "Lessons Learned from a Telehomecare Project." Caring: Journal of the National Association for Home Care. 21(4):18-22. |Abstract|

Dansky, K., K.H. Bowles and L. Palmer (2003). "Clinical Outcomes of Telehomecare for Diabetic Patients." Journal of Information Technology in Healthcare. 1(1):1-74.

Dansky, K., K.H. Bowles and L. Palmer (1999). "How Telemedicine Affects Patients." Caring. 18(8):10-14. |Abstract|

Dansky, K., K.H. Bowles and T. Britt (1999). "Nurses' Responses to Telemedicine in Home Healthcare." Journal of Healthcare Information Management. 13(4):27-38. |Abstract|

Dansky, K., L. Palmer, D.G. Shea and K.H. Bowles (2001). "Cost Analysis of Telehomecare." Telemedicine Journal and e-Health. 7(3):225-232. |Abstract|