Computer makes 'house calls.' (patient monitoring system)

An automated system that allows doctors to make "house calls" to check on patients' progress, developed at Purdue University, may help keep a lid on costs by allowing physicians and other health care professionals to monitor them without prolonging hospitalization or requiring unnecessary visits to the office. "Because the calls are made by a computer, the program provides a very efficient and economical way for a care-giver to keep in touch with patients," explains Gerald H. Roesener, president of TeleHealth Systems Inc., which is marketing the system.

It relies on the use of a touch-tone phone and computer to communicate with patients. No equipment is required in the home. The computer ca Is at pre-arranged times and asks patients to respond to a series of questions. Doctors easily can personalize the service to meet the individual needs of the patient or a particular type of illness, notes Charles Babbs, a researcher with Purdue's Hillenbrand Biomedical Engineering Center and co-designer of the program. "Patients answer |yes' or |no' to the questions by pressing designated...