Generales

UdeA School of Medicine’s Telehealth Program (LivingLab) recently launched a project known as Automated Phone Call aimed at providing advice on depression self-management.

To date, about 350 people have benefited from this pioneering initiative aimed at providing guidance and support for patients with chronic non-communicable diseases.   

The Automated Phone Call is an initiative led by Dr. John Piette, professor of internal medicine in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan, who has successfully implemented the Quality Improvement for Complex Chronic Conditions (QUICCC) model in several countries around the world. The program provides support for patients with chronic non-communicable diseases by using technologies such as IVR (Interactive Voice Response).

Through an automated call patients are asked about clinical variables that are essential for patient evaluation, then patients must enter answers by dialing the keypad. If the patient enters any answers that are are worrisome, the system triggers an alarm alerting them to any problems that were identified during the phone call.

Program director Rene Casanova, says the model has been adjusted in alignment with the standards of the Colombian health system “in order to unify all patients into a single platform and access the patient's medical history in a centralized manner between doctor visits”.

The program boasts an interdisciplinary team of professionals who are responsible for contacting the patient if any worrisome signs arise and ensure that the patient receives timely medical assistance.

Response from patients has been very positive

Since its inception the program has yielded valuable information for monitoring patients with conditions such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and heart failure. The first group of participants consisted of 150 patients who received IVR calls for 12 weeks.

“The results showed that diabetic patients spent less time in bed as a result of the IVR call. A decrease in the symptoms of hypoglycemia, improved self-care practices and better knowledge of diabetes and foot assessment, which is very important in diabetic patients, are among the benefits of using this service,” Casanova said.

This service will be implemented soon in rural areas of the department of Antioquia, Colombia, with high prevalence of depressive disorders and suicide risk.

LivingLab is committed to innovation through the use of information and communication technologies as a way to develop effective solutions for a variety of public health problems and help improve the health of vulnerable patients.