Application of handheld tele-ECG for health care delivery in rural India

Singh, M., Agarwal, A., Sinha, V., Manoj Kumar, R., Jaiswal, N. , Jindal, I., Pant, P. and Kumar, M. (2014) Application of handheld tele-ECG for health care delivery in rural India. International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications, 2014, 981806. (doi: 10.1155/2014/981806) (PMID:25368654) (PMCID:PMC4195398)

Abstract

Telemonitoring is a medical practice that involves remotely monitoring patients who are not at the same location as the health care provider. The purpose of our study was to use handheld tele-electrocardiogram (ECG) developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) to identify heart conditions in the rural underserved population where the doctor-patient ratio is low and access to health care is difficult. The objective of our study was clinical validation of handheld tele-ECG as a screening tool for evaluation of cardiac diseases in the rural population. ECG was obtained in 450 individuals (mean age 31.49 ± 20.058) residing in the periphery of Chandigarh, India, from April 2011 to March 2013, using the handheld tele-ECG machine. The data were then transmitted to physicians in Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, for their expert opinion. ECG was interpreted as normal in 70% individuals. Left ventricular hypertrophy (9.3%) was the commonest abnormality followed closely by old myocardial infarction (5.3%). Patient satisfaction was reported to be ~95%. Thus, it can be safely concluded that tele-ECG is a portable, cost-effective, and convenient tool for diagnosis and monitoring of heart diseases and thus improves quality and accessibility, especially in rural areas.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Jaiswal, Dr Nishant
• Authors: Singh, M., Agarwal, A., Sinha, V., Manoj Kumar, R., Jaiswal, N., Jindal, I., Pant, P., and Kumar, M.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment
• Journal Name: International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications
• Publisher: Hindawi
• ISSN: 1687-6415
• ISSN (Online): 1687-6423
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 Meenu Singh et al.
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications 2014: 981806
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License