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

Authors:

Rohit Manoj Kumar,

Nishant Jaiswal,

Munish KumarAuthors Info & Claims

International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications, Volume 2014

Article No.: 12, Page 12

https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/981806

Published: 01 January 2014 Publication History

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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.

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Cited By

Kakria PTripathi NKitipawang P(2015)A real-time health monitoring system for remote cardiac patients using smartphone and wearable sensorsInternational Journal of Telemedicine and Applications10.1155/2015/3734742015(8-8)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2015
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1155/2015/373474

Application of handheld Tele-ECG for health care delivery in rural India
1. Applied computing
  1. Life and medical sciences
  2. Operations research

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cover image International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications

International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications Volume 2014, Issue

January 2014

157 pages

ISSN:1687-6415

EISSN:1687-6423

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Hindawi Limited

London, United Kingdom

Publication History

Accepted: 09 September 2014

Revised: 06 September 2014

Received: 28 April 2014

Published: 01 January 2014

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Cited By

Kakria PTripathi NKitipawang P(2015)A real-time health monitoring system for remote cardiac patients using smartphone and wearable sensorsInternational Journal of Telemedicine and Applications10.1155/2015/3734742015(8-8)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2015
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1155/2015/373474

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