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Monitoring made easy

A 2MB network is all it takes to soothe nerves if one's kin were to undergo surgery at the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology

IN TOUCH A patient chats with his family in Mecca while recuperating at the Institute's ICU

The picture of Anisha and Manisha watching their mother Manjula battling for survival at the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology made for a poignant scene, but what missed the gaze fixed on the monitor was a doctor's concern for his patients and their kin and a surgeon's eye for detail.

The latest in interactive patient counselling is a system pioneered by Dr. G.V. Rao, Chief of Minimally Invasive and GI surgeon at the Institute, which facilitates the kin to watch and talk to their dear ones without actually entering the Intensive Care Unit.

The concept entails every bed in ICU be fitted with a wide-angle camera, monitor and speakers. The attendants in the anteroom can interact with the patient and each session can last an hour. With distance shrinking courtesy the Internet, a 2MB network is all it needs to soothe frayed nerves on the other side of the Atlantic if one's kin were to undergo surgery at the Institute.

Necessity is the mother of invention and Dr. Nageshwara Reddy, a gastroenterologist renowned the world over and the founder of the Institute, explains: "Unlike in the West, in India a patient has scores of relatives visiting him while recuperating. They spend anxious moments waiting outside and try various means to get access to the patient inside, which often leads to unsavoury situations. We, however, can't let them inside as that might lead to unwanted infections and result in more agony for the patient.''

It's not just the patients and their kin who are drawing the benefits of this facility. "The results have been fantastic and all credit to Dr. Rao, the brain behind the concept. It is serving more than one purpose. Patients and their kin apart, doctors are also finding it easy to monitor vital parameters post-surgery,'' says Dr. Reddy.

According to Dr. Reddy there is a correlation between patients' interaction with dear ones and their recovery. "It's the feeling of being cared for. It's no secret that we Indians are an emotional lot. We love having people around us at all times and hospitals are no exception. We need to draw on this strength in numbers because studies show that interaction between patients and their kin helps in quick recovery.''

A Japanese team was in town recently and they so liked the facility that they are following the system in their own country.

The good doctor has no intention of claiming royalty for the concept, for as he put it: "What is good for the people is good for me."

S.B. VIJAYA MARY

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