Application of Handheld Tele-ECG for Health Care Delivery in Rural India

摘要

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is estimated to be the commonest cause of death as well as disability in India by 2020 as stated in the World Health Report 2002 [1]. According to the Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases (2011) published by the World Health Organization, CVD resulted in more than 2.5 million deaths in India in 2008 [2]. The prevalence of coronary heart disease, from multiple epidemiological studies, is estimated to be between 7 and 13% in urban and between 2 and 7% in rural India [3]. Recently, a reversal in trend has been observed with rural areas accounting for an equal, and sometimes higher, burden of CVD and its risk factors. This is analogous to the manifestation of socioeconomic gradient noted in developed countries [4-6].