Telemonitoring is acceptable amongst community dwelling older Australians with chronic conditions

Abstract

Telemonitoring is an innovative model of care being implemented to address thegrowing burden of chronic and complex disease. This paper explores the perceptions of community dwelling older people withchronic and complex conditions towards a general practice nurse-led telemonitoring interven-tion. A pre-test post-test intervention study was conducted with consumer surveys adminis-tered before and after the intervention. The telemonitoring intervention consisted of a periodof home monitoring during which daily vital signs and symptoms were transmitted to the generalpractice nurse. 21 participants completed both pre and post-test surveys. There was a significant dif-ference between pre and post ratings on the survey item ‘‘the use of telemonitoring equipmentseems difficult to me’’ (p = 0.013), and ‘‘telemonitoring will be a standard way of health caredelivery in the future’’ (p = 0.032). Approximately half of the participants reported that tele-monitoring provided them with a sense of security and peace of mind, assisted them to managetheir health, in addition to improving their confidence in managing their care. Most participants felt more involved and expressed that daily monitoring helped them to understand changes intheir condition. Telemonitoring is acceptable to Australian community dwelling older persons withchronic conditions. Prior experience with computers and technology may not be a meditatingfactor in acceptability. The use of telemonitoring not only provided important physiological infor-mation to health professionals but also has the potential to empower older people by allowingthem to better understand their own health.