In December 2020, the first cancer patient in Sykehuset Østfold was included in the trial of a new digital home monitoring service. Since then, several hundred patients have received the same offer at several healthcare facilities in Helse Sør-Øst.
– Until now, patients had to call during our telephone hours, now they can contact us via chat. They can send photos digitally or make video calls without leaving home. This way, they will contact us faster and get help faster, said senior doctor Martin Paulson from the hospital in Vestfold, launching the offer in October this year.
In the long term, digital home care at Vestfold will be an offer that will be available to all cancer patients who want to take advantage of it. However, in the initial phase, the focus should be on patients receiving immunotherapy.
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In Vestre Viken, in May this year, the first cancer patient at Bærum Hospital was offered digital home monitoring. Both Vestre Viken and Sykehuset and Vestfold base their services on the same model that was originally developed in Sykehuset and Østfold.
At Østfold Hospital, 575 patients currently receive home digital monitoring.
Digital home surveillance
Helse Sør-Øst RHF has been and is a strong promoter of digital home care, which is becoming an offer for an increasing number of patients. The project "Innovative patient advances, digital home observation of patients undergoing cancer treatment" was created in Sykehuset Østfold with the support of Helse Sør-Øst RHF and Innovasjon Norge. Among other things, the project received NOK 1 in idea transfer and innovation funds from Helse Sør-Øst.
– Digital home monitoring is entering our healthcare facilities at full speed. This offer is one of several methods for digitally monitoring patients at home. This is a good solution for patients because they can engage in dialogue with their therapists. They can receive further information without having to go to hospital. It is also a good solution for employees who can take care of other important tasks, says the director of medicine and health sciences at Helse Sør-Øst RHF, Ulrich Spreng.
Many patients suffering from chronic diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), diabetes, cancer and mental disorders are already offered home care via various digital solutions. This means they can also dialogue with their therapists and receive further information without having to go to hospital. Currently, over 70 different projects in this area are being implemented in the region. Strengthening your digital home monitoring work – Helse Sør-Øst RHF (helse-sorost.no)
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Source: Helse Sør-Øst
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