Application of Self-management Systems Trial (ASSET) across three District Health Board regions in New Zealand: A trial to evaluate the effect of telecare self-management devices on quality of life and change in the use of health services in three populations of people suffering from long term conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure or diabetes.

None listed

Telecare involves monitoring and caring for people at a distance, such as people with long term conditions, who often need more care as their illness progresses. Telecare is a relatively new development in New Zealand and combines self-monitoring, whereby people with long term conditions monitor their symptoms to track progress, modify behaviours, or medications accordingly or assess when to seek help from health professionals. ASSET will assess the effectiveness of a long term condition telecare intervention on Health Related Quality of Life, as assessed using the Short Form 36 (SF36) interview tool through distinct randomised controlled evaluations in Auckland and Counties Manukau as well as a formative and process evaluation of the telecare intervention in Tairawhiti. Participants will be assessed at baseline with follow up at three (immediately post intervention) and six months (three months post intervention). ASSET will aim to test the hypotheses that compared to conventional care in the community, telecare will (i) Increase the health related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with long term conditions; (ii) Increase time between first and subsequent hospital attendance for these people; (iii) Reduce ambulatory sensitive hospitilisations (ASH) rates; (iv) Improve the HRQoL of the primary informal caregiver; (v) Provide an economically more efficient means for the person, family / whanau, providers and funding agency to manage a person’s long term condition; and (vi) Increase client and family / whanau satisfaction and sense of control. Participating patients are invited to include family/whanau.