Telemedicine in public nursing homes of Nice

Four public establishments in the French city will be equipped with innovative tools for telemedicine

The elderly in the nursing homes of Nice can now enjoy a smarter and innovative medical service, as of last month, announced the city authorities. Thanks to tools for telemedicine available in the local accommodation establishments for the elderly (EPHAD in French), the dependent seniors will receive healthcare services adapted to the current pandemic situation, while their carers gain permanent access to the patients.

The healthcare for the seniors adapts to the pandemic situation

The Centre for communal action of Nice has introduced several systems aimed at improving the follow up of the residents of its nursing homes, four establishments in total. After successfully testing a telemedicine device in one of the centres in April and after a warm reception by doctors and nursing staff, the system will be introduced in the remaining homes.

The telemedicine allows physicians to have permanent access to their patients residing in nursing homes of the Centre in Nice, by remotely monitoring medical constants and teleconsulting the patients and their families. What is more, the system is claimed to give a higher quality of life to patients as it optimises the care through automated monitoring and generation of alerts.

The system for telemedicine has been developed by a company based in Nice and works only with the consent of the patients and their relatives. It consists of a tablet with a camera, connected via Bluetooth to various medical objects, which allow tracking health data of the patients.

The devices check blood pressure, body temperature, the percentage of oxygen in the blood, heart rate and respiration. The measurements of this data are made daily by a nurse present at the nursing home and are transmitted instantly and automatically to a secure server. Depending on the data, the consulting physician can schedule a teleconsultation remotely.

The newly introduced medical service in Nice is only one of many examples of how cities are at the forefront of the battle against the coronavirus.