Health cough phone offers initial diagnosis

Hotline for cough diagnosis is unlocked again

20/11/2011

The silometer allows automated cough diagnosis by telephone. Based on state-of-the-art technology, the call can be used to identify the different forms of coughing. From now on the silometer can be reached again for all cough patients.

As in the past year, the cough phone can be reached this winter and offers a first assessment of possible complaints. The so-called silometer, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute, detects the sounds of coughing, analyzes them and provides callers with information about possible illnesses. If the cough can not be attributed to any particular illness, the announcement reads: „Unfortunately, we were unable to clearly identify your cough, so consult a doctor or pharmacist.“

Since significantly more people suffer from coughing in winter, the need for a short-term initial assessment of coughing during the cold season is particularly high. For this purpose, the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) has developed the silometer, which uses special software to identify the different forms of coughing in real time. For more than two years, the Oldenburg Project Group has been producing hearing, speech and audio technology for IDMT on behalf of the pharmaceutical company „Boehringer Ingelheim“ worked on the system before the silometer was first available by phone last year. The callers are asked to cough into the telephone receiver and then receive an initial assessment of the underlying disease based on the acoustic characteristics. According to the developers, the system provides a correct estimate of around 80 percent. For those affected, such an initial diagnosis offers clear advantages, since the treatment of coughing according to the causes requires very different medical measures. For the need for the Silometer speak the caller numbers from the winter 2010/2011. At the end, more than 200 people had called the cough phone every day. In total, more than 30,000 callers dialed the number of the silometer. In view of the success, the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology announced on Thursday the release of the silometer for this winter season.

Since coughing is a symptom of various illnesses, it is particularly important for those affected to know the causes of their ailments. Especially in winter and autumn, most of the coughing is caused by colds and flu infections, explained Stefan Goetze, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for the Cough Hotline. Cough is usually an expression of the self-cleaning process of the respiratory tract, in which possible impurities together with the secretion are coughed off by targeted coughing fits. As such, the cough is more helpful. The so-called irritating cough, however, according to the experts to evaluate differently and should be a reason for medical countermeasures. Also a chronic Hustreiz as for example with the smoker cough could be an expression for an excessive demand of the self-cleaning process of the lung, whereby the health risks in this connection are not to be underestimated. The cough phone offers the possibility to receive a first assessment of the cough in a simple and timely manner, whereby the hotline can not of course replace the doctor's visit.

To cough in the phone
The principle of cough phones is relatively simple. When calling a sympathetic female voice explains some basic things for the time being, such that a complete and unambiguous diagnosis is excluded over the phone, which provides diagnostic options of the Silometer and that a phone call can not replace the transition to the doctor or pharmacist. The callers are then asked to cough a few inches into the telephone receiver from a distance of 30 centimeters. The coughing sounds are analyzed with the help of a special software in real time and checked for certain unique features. „We have a PC connected to the telephone service on which a recognition program is installed“, Stefan Goetze explained the procedure. During the development of the silometer, the researchers had recorded and examined the typical acoustic cough features for two years, so that the software can refer to them and assign the cough to certain diseases. „In this way, the caller get a first information about what type of cough it is likely“, explained Goetze. The result is communicated to the callers again by the friendly lady on the telephone. It informs the cough patient about whether they have a cold or a cough that cough is productive or not clearly classifiable. In addition, at the end of the phone call again expressly pointed out that the hotline is not a substitute for a doctor's visit or pharmacist's conversation. Interested parties can reach the cough phone toll-free on 0800 0007178 until March 2012 in order to obtain a quick and uncomplicated first assessment of their symptoms.

Cough phone can not replace doctor's visit
Although it is always pointed out to the cough hotline that a telephone call can never replace the doctor's visit, many physicians assess the cough phone rather critical. Last year, for example, the chairman of the family physicians' association in Lower Saxony, Dr. Ing. med. Heinz Jarmatz, he „consider the cough phone rather problematic, as the cough characteristic depends too much on various factors such as age, weight, gender and constantly changes accordingly.“ Also, the callers would be seduced by such a telephone service for self-diagnostics, which sometimes could be problematic. It should also be noted that coughing is a natural process that removes irritants, pollutants and debris in the respiratory tract. However, if the cough occurs regularly or over a long period of time, urgently seek professional help, not least to rule out serious illnesses. Many forms of coughing can also be treated with naturopathic methods, whereby in the context of the strengthening of the body's defense is in the focus. Here are various natural remedies such as the intestinal rehabilitation, diversion or nutritional and regulatory therapies are used. Depending on the causes, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques, acupuncture, bioresonance therapies, and homeopathy may also be helpful. (Fp)

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