ePoint.telemed--An Open Web-based Platform for Home Monitoring of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

In North Norway, no telemonitoring services for chronic heart failure (CHF) have yet been established, hence no investigations in the area have been published. However, large distances and a sparse population are causes for extra expenditure on hospital visits. In this paper, we describe the ePoint.telemed platform for home telemonitoring of CHF patients. We have reviewed the literature on home monitoring techniques, and developed two prototype platforms for remote collection of physiological data. We have refined one of the prototypes and subjected it to user testing among health professionals and their clients. Fifty patients will be involved in a randomized controlled trial aiming to establish if the home telemonitoring of CHF is clinically feasible and cost-effective. The ePoint.telemed platform is a fully automated internet based system meant for early warnings in a CHF rehabilitation program. The core of the platform is a dashboard connected to a blood pressure meter, a weight scale, and a web-based patient questionnaire. Unlike traditional systems built on dedicated medical equipment, we are applying easy-to-use components geared towards the sports market.