Virtual healthcare worker could save patient time and nursing resources

A Japanese research team has developed a proposal for a remote healthcare system that will allow caregivers to communicate with patients through video and voice technologies, keep track of a patient's vital signs, and monitor a patient's food and medicine supply from a remote location. Researchers say that their system could address some important socioeconomic problems, such as providing quality medical care for citizens living in small towns and rural areas. Currently, people in sparsely populated areas of the country are usually required to seek sophisticated healthcare some distance from their homes.