ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – Aberdeen Royal Infirmary of Scotland, the Scottish Centre for Telehealth and the National Health Service of Scotland have launched a trial of a new telehealth tool that combines video, audio and call center technology with medical diagnostic equipment.

The HealthPresence remote care tool, supplied by Cisco, uses equipment such as stethoscopes and otoscopes, as well as a vital signs monitor that can measure blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate and pulse oximetry, to capture the physiological condition of the patient, Cisco officials said in a release.

The system, developed by Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group, is based on the Cisco TelePresence system, which was launched in October 2006. Some 100 providers in more than 40 countries implemented the TelePresence system within its first year of availability.

"HealthPresence is an asset to improve the quality of telephone advice and triage," said Aberdeen Royal Infirmary's Dr. Karyn Webster and Dr. Fiona Mair. "Being able to visualize and have physiological parameters on a patient will improve patient care."

The Scottish Centre for Telehealth establishes best practices and develops standards, protocols and processes to support telehealth solutions. The center supports projects that advance preventative anticipatory care in Scotland, such as sustainable and safe local medical services, care in communities rather than in hospitals and improved standards and healthcare efficiency.

If standards for patient and caregiver satisfaction are met upon completion of the trial, HealthPresence may be tested in additional settings in Scotland and worldwide.

Gordon Peterkin, director of The Scottish Centre for Telehealth, said, "Solutions such as Cisco HealthPresence enable us to offer convenience for patients and service delivery efficiency for our doctors. We look forward to drawing upon the results from this pilot to optimise our regional and national healthcare delivery resources."

"By using the network as a platform, Cisco has a key role to play in the delivery of safe, affordable and accessible healthcare," said Nick Augustinos, Global Healthcare Solutions director for the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group. "Joining forces with NHS and SCT has enabled us, together, to consider bringing healthcare services to remote and rural areas where recruitment and retention of doctors and nurses is proving increasingly difficult."