Technology-enabled care services: Novel method of managing liver disease
Holmes, Mark
Holmes, Mark
Abstract
Alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) accounts for 37% of the patients who die from liver disease. Moreover, health professionals appear to have a pessimistic attitude toward these patients because ARLD is a self-inflicted illness and a lifestyle disease. This article examines a pilot study of follow-up services for patients with ARLD, particularly ascites, who are cared for by a team of alcohol-related long-term condition nurses. This simple telehealth approach required patients to take their weight readings and report their units of alcohol, texting them to a secure server for immediate automatic analysis and individual review. There were 12 participants in this service improvement study. This simple telehealth strategy was met with high levels of patient satisfaction, with a small cohort showing indications of feelings of control and support. This management approach should thus be considered for widespread implementation for clinical management of ascites and a further number of patients included to evaluate its effectiveness with a larger group.
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Date
2014
Type
Article
Subject
Liver cirrhosis, Telemedicine
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Citation
Holmes, M. & Clark, S. (2014). Technology-enabled care services: Novel method of managing liver disease. Gastrointestinal Nursing, 12(Supplement 10), pp.S22-27.