Article

Pressure ulcers and depression are common preventable conditions secondary to a
spinal cord dysfunction. However, few successful, low-cost preventive approaches
have been identified. We have developed a dynamic automated telephone calling
system, termed Care Call, to empower and motivate people with spinal cord
dysfunction to improve their skin care, seek treatment for depression, and
appropriately use the healthcare system. Herein, we describe the design and
development of Care Call, its novel features, and promising preliminary results
of our pilot testing. Voice quality testing showed that Care Call was able to
understand all voice characteristics except very soft-spoken speech. Importantly,
pilot study subjects felt Care Call could be particularly useful for people who
are depressed, those with acute injury, and those without access to quality care.
The results of a randomized controlled trial currently underway to evaluate Care
Call will be available in 2011.

Langue : ANGLAIS