Telemedicine in Asturias.

Asturias has presented Thursday, April 19, at the Committee of the Regions of the EU's its experience in telemedicine in the Health Area I of the Principado de Asturias, with head in the hospital Jarrio in the framework of the Health and Telemedicine Network rural (RESATER) and leaves the surrounding Asturian in an advantageous position in Spain in regard to the implementation of new technologies in the healthcare system.

This initiative, developed jointly by the Goberment of Asturias and the Asturian Federation of Councils (FACC) was presented at the Workshop 'e-health: what solutions arise for the future of Europe's rural areas?', With which the Committee of the Regions in Brussels decommissioning projects promoted by the Territorial Cooperation Programme European Space Southwest.

The experience that Goberment of Asturias presented in this seminar focuses on a program for patients in rural areas can be made from their own health centers screening of diabetic retinopathy, a disease is the leading cause of blindness among patients with diabetes among 25 and 65. The project spokesperson Crisanto Alonso, noted that telemedicine enables early diagnosis, lowers health care costs and a savings to the patient, who does not have to travel to hospital when living in scattered areas of rural Asturias.

Before the start of this program, patients in the health area should be periodically these tests had to move to the Regional Hospital of Jarrio, what is now avoided. After application of telemedicine, 85 percent of the 952 patients enrolled in the program in the Northwest could perform the tests required in their respective health centers without having to go to the hospital. The reduction of the revisions is 42.5 percent, a saving which is estimated at around 60,000 euros.

The methodology of the program is that a medical team with medical instruments goes to health centers, where they took fundus photographs of patients who have to do the test.