Patient Informatics: Technology in the Service of Patient Care
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TL;DR
The pilot study presented here demonstrates the feasibility of using home-based computer networks to provide information, communication and decision assistance to PLWA and provides sufficient encouragement to extend this intervention to other groups of community-based patients.
Abstract
Care of the patient at home challenges the health care system with both the quantity and diversity of services required. Informatics technologies may provide mechanisms to relieve the burden of traditional services while meeting the unique needs of home-based patients in a timely and effective manner. Capitalizing on an existing, free, public-access computer network we developed the COMPUTERLINK, a set of utilities designed to provide home-care support to persons living with AIDS/ARC (PLWA) in the community. The pilot study presented here we demonstrate the feasibility of using home-based computer networks to provide information, communication and decision assistance to PLWA. The success experienced with this particular group provides sufficient encouragement to extend this intervention to other groups of community-based patients.