Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand is trialling biostickers that sends patients' skin temperature, heart and respiratory rates to their medical practitioners and patients.
Health officials hope the trial of the device will help people know when their health is deteriorating, even before it is obvious to them. Photo: 123RF
People involved in the experiment wore a 'biosticker' that gathered information on skin temperature, heart and respiratory rate, which was then sent to their local hospital and the patient or a family member.
The 'biostickers', which are stuck to the skin with medical tape, have been trialled on 50 people in Counties Manukau, and on 10 in South Canterbury.
Janet Steven, who is part of the trial said the device gives her peace of mind.
She said the information is also sent to her niece, who then checks up on her to make sure everything is all right.
Te Whatu Ora project sponsor Ruth Kibble said the trail involved two groups: frail older people, and people who would otherwise be admitted to hospital.
She said, "The advantage of, if this goes well, is actually for us to be a lot more targeted in identifying early trends of someone's health status that's deteriorating, so we can get in earlier and assess them."
Fewer people will needed to be admitted to hospital as a result, Kibble said.
Health Minister Andrew Little said with the introduction of the device, people who go to emergency departments regularly for chronic conditions could be monitored from home instead.
He said the devices were already used in many other countries, and people trailing them here have had no false readings so far.
"There hasn't been any indication that there's been a false reading or a false alert to any of the health conditions so I think this is a technology that has been tested enough overseas and we are now trailing it out in New Zealand," Little said.