By Barbara Hale
Public Information
Editor's note: (This is the first in a series of stories that profile some of the ways Penn State, outside the classroom, is making life better for people in Pennsylvania.)
Philadelphia,
Pa. -- When Queen J. Jones, a 74-year-old retired schoolteacher, came home from
the hospital recently after a total knee replacement, her physician ordered
skilled nursing care in her home. Jones got some of the care she needed through
a Penn State study that linked her and her nurses through a computer (which
was connected to a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope); a monitor equipped
with two-way voice capability; and a video camera.
Using this patient station, Jones could see and talk with her nurses, Raylene Clark and Beth Hardiman, and they could see and talk with her. The system, which works over ordinary phone lines, allowed the nurses to take Jones's temperature and blood pressure, listen to her heart and lung sounds and discuss her diet and latest blood sugar results -- all without having to travel to her house.
After the knee surgery, Jones -- who has diabetes -- needed skilled postsurgical care as well as help following a complicated schedule of pain medications, blood sugar tests and insulin injections.
Skilled nursing care in the home requires a registered nurse to drive to the patient's residence, conduct examinations and assessments, provide patient care and education, and then drive to the next patient's house.
The "video visits" are not a substitute for home visits, but they can increase interaction between patients and nurses, help patients take greater responsibility for their own care and give patients a sense of security by giving them the ability to get in touch with their nurses at all times.
"I think it was wonderful," Jones said of the study. "I was amazed. I not only learned to use the computer but I learned how to take my blood pressure and to use the stethoscope."
Kathy H. Bowles, VNA nurse researcher and clinical coordinator of the project, said Jones' reaction is typical.
"Most patients like it. It gives them a sense of security because they are in touch with their nurse at all times. They light up when they see their nurse on the screen. Some female patients even put on makeup and get dressed up for their video visits."
Such behavior is far from frivolous. Bowles said that renewed interest in self-care among patients is an important indicator of vitality and responsibility for their health.
Jones is recovering well from the knee surgery and no longer needs skilled nursing care or the patient station.
The Penn State study was funded in part by a grant from the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. It was carried out in partnership with the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Greater Philadelphia and American Telecare Inc., which supplied the patient stations.
For the complete story, point your Web browser to http://www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/news/homecare.html. The story originally appeared in a publication called For the Health of Pennsylvania, which is accessible through the publications page of the Penn State Research Web site at http://www.research.psu.edu/pub/.