Design and Implementation of Home Automated Telemanagement System for Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

We developed a Home Automated Telemanagement (HAT) system for the computer-guided management of patients with ulcerative colitis to monitor symptoms, medication compliance, weight changes, and quality of life, while educating the patients on their disease. The system runs on a laptop computer connected to a phone line and a digital scale placed in the patient's home. The system questions the patient on their condition, monitors their weight, and provides the patient with feedback on suggested management techniques. Their medication regimen and suggested actions are determined by their physician and integrated in to the system, keeping a personalized approach to disease management while taking advantage of the technology available. This low-cost telemanagement system has been successfully introduced to optimize the care of patients with ulcerative colitis.