Vocantas, maker of interactive voice response solutions (IVRS), has developed an IVRS-based monitoring system for reducing or eliminating adverse events for high-risk, post-discharged patients. The Vocantas solution was a response to a request for assistance from Dr. Alan Forster of the Ottawa Health Research Institute, whose research led him to believe that IVRS could improve the effectiveness of patient follow-up care. Aware of Vocantas’s expertise in telephony solutions, he asked the company to develop a suitable system. Vocantas answered with CallAssure, a US patent-pending IVRS that allows patients to respond by voice to pre-recorded, specific questions about their health, enabling nurses and doctors to promptly react to those who need immediate attention. Dr. Forster conducted a number of clinical trials using CallAssure at The Ottawa Hospital. In the most recent trial, published by the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, the solution proved effective in monitoring patient care without adding to the heavy workload of healthcare staff. It also identified patients who could benefit from telephone contact with a health professional, and some who required nurse intervention that may have prevented serious health incidents. Dr. Forster is also evaluating CallAssure for its efficacy in providing appointment reminders and medication dosage updates to patients with chronic blood clotting conditions. Future studies, which will be funded by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, should help to further define the benefits of the technology, says Vocantas.