Cardiac Telemedicine in GP Surgeries Saves Hospitalisation in Nearly 90% of Cases

Broomwell Healthwatch telemedicine technology cuts patient stress and worry, and shows national savings of 90,000 hospital (A&E) referrals, £46M per year saved and potentially over £250 million in savings for the NHS

[UKPRwire, Fri Aug 03 2007] Technology that enables a fast, accurate diagnosis of heart problems by telephone, using an innovative handheld 12 lead ECG (electrocardiogram) device, has dramatically cut the number of people having to go to hospital for symptoms of chest pain.

Data from cardiac telemedicine specialist Broomwell HealthWatch has shown that in nearly 6000 tests in the past 16 months, 88% of even symptomatic patients were managed and reassured by their local GP, and did not need hospitalisation. It is understood that without the service, at least 50% of those would have been referred.

The technology, developed by Manchester-based Broomwell, allows patients with symptoms of chest pain, or possible heart problems, to receive a full 12 lead ECG test at their local GP surgery within minutes – instead of having to travel to a hospital or A&E department and wait up to two weeks for results.

Broomwell’s cardiac monitoring service provides non-specialist GPs with expert cardiac diagnostic support. Practice nurses carry out ECG readings and the results are transmitted as a sound signal by telephone to Broomwell’s 24 hour monitoring centre in Manchester, whose staff provide an immediate verbal evaluation, followed by a written report, emailed back to the surgery in minutes.

The pioneering service is currently in use at four Primary Care Trusts across Greater Manchester - North and Central districts of Manchester PCT and Stockport and Bury PCTs. Since its launch in September 2006 it has already been used with over 1,300 patients in Greater Manchester delivering cost savings and freeing up acute emergency healthcare resources across the region.

Reports from the Greater Manchester and Cheshire (GMC) Cardiac Network confirm that the 1,300 ECGs carried out within the primary care setting have helped ease the burden on local acute hospitals and also dramatically reduced the number of outpatient secondary care referrals.

Following the success of the initial one year pilot, the cardiac monitoring service is now being rolled out to a further five PCTs within the GMC network – Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale, Oldham, Central & Easter Cheshire, Salford and Ashton Leigh & Wigan - extending the benefits to a much wider patient base.

A six-month pilot of cardiac telemedicine services within Cumbria & Lancashire has demonstrated the potential to save 90,000 A&E visits, 45,000 hospital admissions and hundreds of lives each year in England. The pilot’s results also estimated the minimum savings to the NHS from use of telemedical ECG tests are £46M per year, simply by cutting unnecessary hospital admissions and A&E visits for symptoms of chest pain. Broomwell believes savings of over £250M a year are achievable.

Broomwell’s advanced pocket-sized ECG devices and specialised cardiac monitoring centre support GPs in making accurate, effective patient diagnoses in minutes. Data from the NHS pilot showed 82% of patients receiving ECGs did not need to go to hospital (neither A&E nor outpatients) following the test – giving rapid reassurance, and reducing stress and anxiety.

The results of the pilot also showed that this approach to ECG monitoring can save hundreds of lives each year by early detection of heart problems. Early detection is proven to help avoid irreversible heart damage. A further benefit is that patients can be accurately diagnosed within local healthcare settings instead of having to travel to a hospital for testing.

Prestwich-based GP, Dr Jonathan Lieberman, had been using the system for a couple of years and encouraged his PCT to take part in the pilot. He said: “The system is great for use in diagnosing patients with chest pain symptoms. As a rule, patients would be referred to the local hospital outpatients department for an ECG to look for any signs of a cardiac illness. Now I can do an on-the-spot test in my surgery and get a simple phone call to tell me the extent of the cardiac problem and if the patient needs to be admitted to hospital or not. The Broomwell system is extremely useful, it helps save costs for the NHS and boosts patient confidence in knowing they do not have to make unnecessary hospital visits.”

Joshua Rowe, managing director of Broomwell HealthWatch commented: “This service is beneficial to all parties concerned. It’s great for patients because of the convenience and peace of mind it delivers, and great for the NHS because it cuts costs and frees up resources. By adopting the Broomwell ECG monitoring service PCTs can ease the burden on their A&E departments - cutting down waiting times and freeing up hospital resources, especially since many cardiac-related cases turn out to be non-emergency. I believe this type of lifesaving service will play a vital role in the future of the NHS.”

Ends/

Notes to editor:

How the BroomWell Healthwatch telemedicine ECG service works
Broomwell Healthwatch gives GPs and other healthcare professionals access to immediate, expert interpretation of ECGs by experienced cardiology-trained clinicians. Broomwell’s hand-held 12-lead ECG machine is used by a nurse, clinician or paramedic in the same way as a conventional machine. When the ECG is complete, it is transmitted as a sound signal by landline telephone in just 45 seconds to Broomwell’s monitoring centre, where it is displayed on screen for interpretation by experienced clinicians.

Based on the high-quality ECG trace, Broomwell staff give an immediate verbal interpretation by phone so that action can be taken quickly, if needed. A full written ECG report is also sent to the GP surgery by email or fax for inclusion in the patient record. Because constant communication with the patient’s doctor, nurse or paramedic is maintained during the test, the quality of patient care is high.

About BroomWell Healthwatch
The company was established in 2004 to provide telemedical monitoring services to GPs, Walk-in Centres, Community Hospitals and private individuals. Broomwell’s solutions include the wristwatch-like MiniClinic, which is linked to the company’s monitoring centre by a home base station, 12-lead portable ECGs, and weight control solutions for congestive heart failure. These are supported by Broomwell’s 24-hour cardiac monitoring centre, which is staffed by experienced cardiology-trained clinicians giving immediate, expert interpretation of ECGs.


www.broomwellhealthwatch.com


Press contacts: Craig Coward / Luke Ford, Context, 01625 511966

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