The development of a new model for community telemedicine services

Two trials of a telemedicine monitoring system were conducted in the UK. Th e SAFE21 system records the patient's physiological data, which are transmi tted via a modem to the health service provider. The first trial was conduc ted on nine muscular dystrophy patients under 18 years of age. Eight of the patients felt that the monitoring system was reliable and were happy with it, as it avoided the need to go to hospital for monitoring. The second tri al was carried out on 14 patients suffering from respiratory illness. Thirt een of these patients felt that the service was useful and 12 reported sati sfaction with the system. The SAFE21 telemedicine monitoring system appears to be an acceptable means of delivering care.