Newswise — Michigan State University telecommunication professor Pamela Whitten has been awarded a grant worth nearly $1.2 million to establish a wireless network to link three rural nursing home facilities in Michigan with an MSU teaching nursing home facility.
The award from the U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration will allow the rural facilities to access the expertise of MSU physicians and other faculty to improve care. It is part of almost $14 million in Technology Opportunities Program grants to 28 nonprofit organizations, including state, local and tribal governments in 22 states.
"Despite rapid medical advances in the healthcare system, access to many services in the long-term care setting continues to be difficult, especially in rural areas," Whitten said.
Federal law requires that all nursing homes "provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental and psychosocial well-being of each resident." However, demographic and economic trends make it extremely difficult for nursing homes to meet this fundamental federal health standard, Whitten said.
"Most telemedicine projects launched in nursing homes to date have met with limited success due to the economic constraints of wiring each patient room or the logistical constraint of bringing all patients to a centralized telemedicine location," she added.
A video conferencing system will be installed in PC Tablets that can easily be brought from bedside to bedside. PC Tablets feature high-resolution screens that can receive input through the screen with a stylus (much like a handheld computer), extended battery life and are ultra-portable.
Videoconferencing software will be installed in the PC Tablets and camera units will connect to these PC Tablets.
Services to be provided via this wireless, mobile solution include:
Clinical consults from the teaching nursing home to the three rural nursing homes;
Clinical consults for patients from MSU-based physicians for any subspecialties not available through the teaching nursing home; and
Training services from faculty at the teaching nursing home to medical and nursing students located at the three rural nursing homes.
Project partners include Masonic Pathways Teaching Nursing Home, Au Sable Valley Nursing Home, Marwood Manor Nursing, and Tendercare Nursing Home.
"Ultimately, we hope to find cost-effective ways to maximize access to clinical services for nursing home residents through a wireless, mobile solution," Whitten said. "We also hope to increase the quality of care through the enhanced access and improve medical outcomes for these nursing home residents."
RSS