Preliminary Evaluation of Telemedicine in Elderly Care Facilities: Reducing Travel Expenses Through On-Site Diagnostic Tools and Remote Collaboration”

Lorenzo Rizzotto, Zenari Sonia

Keywords: Telemedicine, Elderly Care, Nursing Home, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Teleconsultation, Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS), Travel Expenses Reduction, On-Site Diagnostics, Rural Healthcare

Background:

Teleconsultation has emerged as a cost-effective strategy to reduce healthcare expenditures and improve patient outcomes, particularly in elderly care facilities. This preliminary study evaluates travel-related costs in various Veneto region nursing homes and explores how telemedicine, supported by on-site diagnostic tools, could mitigate such expenses.

Research questions:

How many visits can be effectively replaced by a remote consultation?
How many examinations can be performed without moving the patient, but through remote reporting?
How much could be saved by properly implementing telemedicine-teleconsultation?

Method:

Quantitative analysis of costs and possible savings associated with implementing telemedicine in elderly care residences compared to traditional care models.

Results:

More than 600 transportation bills were evaluated, of patients with an average age of 85 years. Our initial data indicate that nearly half of patient visits are currently unavoidable, needing direct clinical evaluation or advanced diagnostic imaging, while one-quarter could be almost entirely eliminated through routine teleconsultation. Another quarter could potentially be avoided with additional on-site diagnostic capacities—namely point-of-care ultrasound, spirometry, Holter monitoring, and electrocardiography—once that staff receives appropriate training and infrastructure and teleconsultation regulamentation are upgraded. Approximately up to 33% of costs could be saved.

Conclusions:

These findings highlight the importance of targeted training, strategic technology adoption, and robust telemedicine protocols in reducing patient travel, curbing overall expenditures, and improving care quality in elderly settings. Although point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) remains a minor element in this initial phase, it represents a promising avenue for future teleconsultation programs aiming to optimize remote diagnostics and further decrease costs. This study could provide data to support funding for telemedicine initiatives by highlighting potential cost savings for healthcare systems and individual facilities.

Points for discussion:

An increasingly older population and increasingly scarce and tired GPs: is telemedicine a burden or a relief?

Is the cost-saving and time-saving side of telemedicine the Graal of national health services ? Are we on the right side of history, sacrificing the human touch?

About prescribing (un)appropriateness and waiting lists. Is teleconsultation the final coming of age of the General Practice?

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