Telemedicine is heading in this direction, with control centres that receive large amounts of information and computer systems that detect and analyse irregularities
The Instrumentation, Sensors and Interfaces (ISI) Group has developed an intuitive and cost-effective scale, which, as well as measuring weight, also records the electrical activity of the heart from foot and hand contact. The device demonstrates the usefulness of telemedicine, which is particularly appropriate for people who need frequent heart checkups.
A particularly complex issue in the healthcare system is how to monitor post-operative elderly patients or patients who have received an initial diagnosis, particularly because these patients need to visit a hospital regularly for checkups.
For people with cardiovascular disease, the situation is even more complicated, because having an electrocardiogram can disrupt their daily lives. But the situation is beginning to change thanks to the possibilities offered by telemedicine.
Pursuing this line of research, the ISI Group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) has designed a revolutionary medical device: a bathroom scale that performs electrocardiograms at home.
The system is economical and easy to use, keeps track of patients with cardiovascular disease and avoids the need for patients to visit the hospital. “Just as we have a thermometer at home to check for fever, we now have a scale that gives us lots of information on the cardiovascular system. And controls weight, obviously,” says Ramon Pallàs, the researcher leading the project.
via Sala de Premsa
