Professional Engineering

Dr Jasper zu Putlitz, president of Robert Bosch Healthcare, says that the popularity of the system in the US, and its emergence in the UK, proves that telehealth is becoming an acceptable technological solution. “Critics will quickly point out that the patient/doctor relationship has been compromised. But that is not the case,” he says. “If you look at a typical deployment you will see that the patient feels more connected because they have the chance to articulate that they don’t feel well and this will trigger a call from a medical professional. A nurse or a doctor will call them if one of the vital signs is not so positive. It’s a much more targeted way for a doctor or nurse to get personally involved with the patient.”

But he admits that telehealth might not be suitable for all chronically ill patients. “There will always be some resistance,” he says. “Ultimately it is not possible to reach every chronically ill patient with this technology because there will be some people who are too shy or too reluctant to use it. But the patients who do engage tend to become very engaged. Once they are converted to telehealth technology, they stay with it.”

Bosch says that research it has carried out proves that letting patients take their own vital sign measurements leads to them becoming more in-tune with their condition. The health management programmes are developed to improve patients’ knowledge of their particular diseases. “Where they really tend to get excited is when they actually learn about their condition and receive tips on how to improve and manage their progress,” says Putlitz. “Therefore Bosch concentrates on making sure that therapy management programmes are built-in, which helps patients to manage their disease much better than they normally would.”

While the price of the Telehealth Plus system depends on the size of the deployment and the specific type of sensors required, Putlitz insists that, on the whole, it has been proved to result in cost efficiencies for health authorities. “It is not a one-size-fits-all approach to healthcare – the priorities for each provider are always very different,” he says. 

“But we have published 30 studies in the US that have analysed a large number of patients. Typically a telehealth intervention can potentially save 20-25% of patient costs, and hospital admissions can be reduced by more than 20%. It’s not a very expensive technology given that the health provider is creating a lot of clinical and financial impact.”

Putlitz says that while the UK has been slow to adopt telehealth, certainly in comparison with the US, there are now signs that care trusts are recognising the benefits that it can bring. As a result, Bosch is setting-up a dedicated UK healthcare operation to scale-up its business.

“This is not about spending money for a fancy piece of technology – it’s about improving care and improving financial outcomes. It’s investment that pays off, and more and more people are appreciating that,” he says.

“We are already working with NHS Direct and healthcare providers in Leeds and Hull and we have had many requests from PCTs who also would like to use the technology. We believe there will be widespread appreciation of the potential of telehealth in the UK, and so we believe this is going to be a pretty big opportunity for us.”

• Do you think telemedicine is a good idea which will benefit patients, or do you think it would lead to patients feeling isolated from their doctors and nurses? Tell us your views by commenting below.