CNET News.com: Telemedicine slashes hospital stays CNET News.com: Telemedicine slashes hospital stays

"A British telemedicine project has halved the time patients spend in the hospital by enabling doctors to monitor their condition remotely.

The project involves giving a "telemedicine monitor" to patients, thus allowing them to measure their own temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, electrocardiogram and blood pressure. These results are sent via a phone line to a secure server, where they are saved as an electronic patient record, which can then be accessed by doctors or nurses."