On May 1, the ANGELS (Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System) program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Distance Health in Little Rock, Ark. started monitoring women participating in a new telehealth study. The mHealth Postpartum Monitoring study includes women who during pregnancy were diagnosed as having pre-eclampsia, a condition of extreme hypertension.
“Our goal is to see if earlier discharge for women with pre-eclampsia can be safe for them with careful home monitoring,” said Donna Ussery, R.N., a nurse project manager in the UAMS Center for Distance Health.
Using medical equipment they take home, the women collect data about their own oxygen saturation, blood pressure and weight. Through a wireless connection, the data goes to the ANGELS Call Center, where it is monitored by triage nurses.
If the readings exceed certain parameters, an alert is set off and a nurse calls to evaluate her health and give advice that may range from rest to going to an Emergency Department for evaluation.
Ten women in 2014 completed monitoring periods, which last two weeks. Early results have been positive.
Sarah Rhoads-Kinder, Ph.D., principal investigator in the study and assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, helped secure a $20,000 grant from the UAMS Translational Research Institute to fund a research study using the program in 2015.
Nafisa Dajani, M.D., associate professor and Pat Magann, M.D., professor, in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology are study co-investigators. Christina Serrano, Ph.D., a University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business assistant professor specializing in health informatics, also is a study research partner.
Dr. Sarah Kinder and Donna Ussery will both be involved at the South Central Telehealth Forum in Jackson, Miss. on March 2. Please take this opportunity to discuss this program with them in person.
