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Older patients with multiple chronic diseases have high rates of hospital and emergency department use. In the search for novel approaches to monitoring these patients, telemonitoring of clinical status and metrics has been explored, with variable success.
Mayo Clinic investigators randomized 205 older adults (mean age, 80) with multiple serious morbidities (e.g., coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) to a telemonitoring program or to usual care. Telemonitoring consisted of daily assessments of weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, oxygen saturation, and peak expiratory flow and also allowed for real-time video conferencing. Physiologic data were sent to a nurse case-manager, and care deci…