User Friendliness Aspects of Home Care Telematics

Abstract

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease with a high number of admissions and emergency room visits in pediatric hospitals. Treatment of asthmatic patients is best done by asthma specialists and requires the chronic use of prophylactic medications, additional treatment for acute exacerbations and regular check-ups. In Crete, a Greek island, there are many children with asthma who are not receiving care by an asthma specialist. The only specialty clinic for asthmatic children in Crete is in Heraklion, a city in the center of the island. We attempted to use telemedicine in order to reach and follow children with asthma who live in distant areas in Crete. We set up a pilot telemedicine program with 10 asthmatic children already followed at the Specialty Clinic. Using teleconferencing techniques, we were able to obtain the medical history, examine the patients, educate them about the disease and adjust the treatment. The parents of patients accepted the telemedicine service with a percentage of 90% and showed a special interest in this new service. We conclude that telemedicine for asthmatic children performed by their specialist is feasible and accepted by the majority of patients.