VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 2 ( April-June, 2019 ) > List of Articles
Nisha, Shridhar Dwivedi, Suresh K Gupta
Keywords : Cardiovascular diseases, Cost-of-illness, Diabetes, Rural health care, Telemedicine
Citation Information : N, Dwivedi S, Gupta SK. Telemedicine as a Cost-effective Tool for Cardiovascular Diseases in Rural India: A Pilot Study in Delhi-NCR. MGM J Med Sci 2019; 6 (2):58-64.
DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10036-1232
License: CC BY-NC 4.0
Published Online: 01-10-2019
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2019; The Author(s).
Objective: Telemedicine is an economical tool for providing healthcare to remote areas. So far, not much is known about such endeavors targeting rural parts of India. The National Heart Institute, New Delhi joined hands with an NGO at Jewar, Greater Noida (predominantly a rural area) to provide teleconsultation to patients attending the Community Health Center. The present study aims to evaluate the direct and indirect cost of treating cardiovascular diseases using teleservices at Jewar. Materials and methods: It is a prospective, observational, and questionnaire-based study regarding the rural India. The demographic and complete clinical profile is noted in the telemedicine e-sanjeevani portal by a patient coordinator. A plausible clinical diagnosis is made at the NHI end after interacting with a patient on television and reviewing relevant investigations followed by instructions about drug treatment. At the end of the telesession, the direct cost (including medication, lab-investigation, consultation, transportation, any adverse drug reaction, internet, and setup cost) is calculated. The indirect medical cost was worked out using the human capital approaches such as the productivity loss of both the patient and attendants. Results: A total of 100 consecutive cardiovascular patients (including diabetes cases attending telemedicine sessions at NHI) were studied. There were 53 males and 47 females. The mean age of patients was found to be 55.29 ± 11.6 years (mean ± SD). The common cardiovascular diseases noted were found to be diabetes alone (48%), hypertension and diabetes (24%), diabetes and other comorbid conditions (9%), hypertension alone (9%), diabetes with two cardiovascular conditions (4%), diabetes, hypothyroidism and cardiovascular diseases (3%), hypertension associated with coronary artery disease (2%), and coronary artery disease alone (1%) in that order. The average treatment cost per patient (direct as well as indirect) for 10-month duration for diabetes alone was INR 6,302.22 (630.22/month), diabetes and hypertension together cost INR 10,546.71 (1,054.67/month), diabetes with other comorbid condition cost INR 12,086.62 (1,208.66/month), hypertension cost INR 15,505.63 (1,550.57/month), diabetes and other two cardiovascular diseases cost INR 8,376.91 (837.69/month), diabetes and hypothyroidism and cardiovascular diseases cost INR 13,899.80 (1,389.98/month), hypertension and coronary artery disease cost INR 8,844.33 (884.43/month), and coronary artery disease cost INR 2,125.34 (212.53/month). The overall total cost direct as well as indirect for this telemedicine project was around INR 9,09,095.63, including direct, indirect, set-up and internet charges for 10-months tenure. Conclusion: Telemedicine for rural people is a feasible proposition. Diabetes was found to be the most prevalent disease, thus possesses the maximum overall economic burden. The treatment for diabetes alone costs less than for diabetes associated with other comorbidities. Government telemedicine initiatives in India will further reduce the direct medical cost burden on rural patients substantially. Women empowerment is another important aspect of telemedicine. Adoption of this telemedicine model by health policymakers in India will lead to the better and affordable treatment to rural patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases.