TUM and Traunstein district trial digital approach to elder care
New telemedicine project launched in Traunstein
When a resident鈥檚 health suddenly changes, care staff are often forced to make immediate decisions. A doctor is not always immediately available on site. As a consequence, emergency services are frequently called in uncertain cases 鈥� even though not every change in condition requires a trip to the hospital.
This is where the new project "Telemedical care for retirement and nursing homes in the district of Traunstein" comes in: With the help of a specially developed telemedicine kit, staff can can track essential health indicators such as blood pressure, oxygen saturation, ECG or heart rate directly. They can then send these data to a remotely connected physician and consult with them via video. Based on the data, the doctor can recommend next steps 鈥� whether it鈥檚 treatment on-site, a medication adjustment, or, in urgent cases, admission to hospital.
Benefits for everyone involved
The project relies on close collaboration between nursing homes, primary care providers, and hospitals. The benefits are clear: residents avoid unnecessary and stressful hospital transfers; facilities gain clinical support and faster assessments; physicians save time by reducing travel; emergency responders are deployed only when truly needed; and hospitals see reduced strain on emergency departments and more appropriate admissions.
Dr. Franziska Hahn, study coordinator at TUM Klinikum, said: 鈥淎t the , we support patients through remote diagnostics and study how new technologies can be used most effectively. Over the next twelve months, together with our partners in Traunstein and the surrounding area, we鈥檒l assess whether our model is feasible. The insights we gather will help improve medical care through telemedicine.鈥�
- The project involves several key partners. TUM is coordinating the project and providing scientific know-how. Two practicing doctors from the district (Maximilian Leitner and Sebastian B盲hr) provide telemedical care for their patients in the nursing homes. Three nursing homes - SenVital Ruhpolding, Kreisaltenheim Palling and Chiemgau Stift Inzell - benefit directly from the new technology. TUM University Hospital is supporting the scientific management of the study, while the district of Traunstein is supporting the project implementation on site and providing the technical infrastructure. The ZTM (Center for Telemedicine Bad Kissingen) provides the telemedical equipment and takes care of support, maintenance and updates of the telemedical systems. As a major regional healthcare provider, Kliniken S眉dostbayern AG (KSOB) is involved in the project in order to ensure efficient medical coordination between outpatient and inpatient care.
