How one ED uses telemedicine in the ambulance

When you think of telemedicine, what comes to mind? Often the answer is a split screen—physician and patient in separate locations on their computers or tablets. But one health system has shown the true breadth of telemedicine’s reach by using the technology to treat patients during the critical early moments of a stroke. Find out how. The risk of damage and disability in patients who are experiencing a stroke increases with any delay in care delivery. Two emergency physicians at the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System understood the need for speed when it comes to caring for patients in the midst of acute stroke and designed a streamlined telemedicine system to begin treatment on way to the hospital. Nina Solenski, MD, and Andy Southerland, MD, designed the “telestroke” model using low-cost, “off-the-shelf” technology: A mobile device, 4G commercial broadband and HIPAA-compliant encrypted software for patient privacy. How the “telestroke” model works The portable system is deployed in the ambulance to facilitate a livestream neurological exam with the remote on-call neurologist during the ambulance ride to the hospital. Valuable time is saved by enabling treatment prior to the patient’s arrival at the ED. These systems are “really designed to help support patients from rural communities to get the care they need quickly,” said David Cattell-Gordon, director of the UVA Telemedicine Office. “With a stroke, every minute matters. With thi...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news