Medical checkups without leaving home

Diabetes patient Bill Parks, 68, of Augusta, Ga., has his daily checkup at his home in Augusta Jan. 10, 1997 via computer. After checking his blood pressure and pulse and warning him to eat, home health nurse Debbie Durham, on computer screen, gives Parks a thumbs up for the day. This is the latest turn in telemedicine: a house call by computer that allows doctors and nurses to listen to hearts, take temperatures and weigh patients while they stay at home and stay out of the hospital.