| Theme | The Status Quo and the View of Home Hemodialysis | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Home hemodialysis monitoring system employing information technology | |
| Publish Date | 2007/08 | |
| Author | Hidetomo Nakamoto | Department of General Medicine, Saitama Medical University |
| Author | Shunsuke Kinoshita | Department of General Medicine, Saitama Medical University |
| Author | Masako Yamaguchi | Department of General Medicine, Saitama Medical University |
| [ Summary ] | The progress in information technology (IT) has produced great improvements in many fields, including the manufacturing industry, communication technology, network businesses the role of IT in the medical field is increasing as well as in business fields. The numbers of computer assisted medical procedures has increased in several fields. They are widely used in nephrology and dialysis, due to particular characteristics of this population such as number, complexity, follow-up time and economic cost. The rapid development of information and telecommunication technology over recent decades has led to the application of these techniques in various medical fields. Various kinds of telemedicine systems have been developed to monitor CAPD patients at home. These systems have great advantages for elderly or handicapped patients, because of decreases in the number of times they visit outpatient clinics. In addition, the data on these patients can be monitored at home in a real time. The advances in these telemedicine systems for CAPD patients are reported. Home hemodialysis is an important dialysis mode. In spite of the good effects on general patient condition including blood pressure, excess hydration, anemia and quality of life (QOL), a very small number of people are undergoing home hemodialysis in Japan. One reason few people receive on going home hemodialysis in Japan is lack of backup systems for these patients in their homes. Home hemodialysis monitoring systems are being developed which use broadband IT systems. These systems have great advantages for ESRD patients receiving in home hemodialysis because they may be monitored. The data from these patient may be observed in a real time and they can be contacted if any difficulties arise. |
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