According to Madigan, the technology allows health care organizations like the VNA to monitor and extend care beyond the regular home visit and find changes in the health condition before it might reach a critical stage.

An example says Madigan, who is a professor of nursing, is an elevated weight gain in a person with heart failure-a sign of potential fluid overload.

"Generally patients like this monitoring," said. While it is distant monitoring, "it's another set of eyes on their health conditions."

The VNA has used the monitors for about seven years, but past studies on home telehealth monitoring have been done on the ideal or controlled patients.

Because the targeted illnesses in this study also are associated with cognitive or mental health changes, the researchers want to see if the technology is effective in helping "the real patient with real issues" manage their illnesses.

"We hope to find out which patients benefit the most from telehealth monitoring," Madigan said.

Source: Case Western Reserve University