Island Health has come up with a new way for Victoria and Esquimalt residents to monitor heart health from home.
The Home Health Monitoring service helps measure blood pressure, weight and oxygen levels from home, and helps detect problems early, enhances quality of life, improves health outcomes and reduce hospital admissions.
Roughly 300 residents on South and Central Vancouver Island have used the free service and Island Health is encouraging others to give it a try.
“Home Health Monitoring gives patients the confidence they need to self-manage their health from their home,” said Island Health Telehealth Specialist Lisa Saffarek. “It enables us to be more proactive in detecting changes in a patient's condition. We can work with the patient and the care team to prevent urgent visits to physician offices or the emergency department.”
Nanaimo resident Bill Miller said the service was easy to use and his daily responses were automatically sent to a Home Health Monitoring nurse, who monitored his results and maintained regular contact with him and his physician.
“You're made aware immediately of any changes in your health and if there's an issue it can be fixed quickly,” Miller said.
Patients interested in the free service can call the Home Health Monitoring office at 250-388-2273.