Trauma transfers discharged from the emergency department—Is there a role for telemedicine?

CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates that patients who are transferred to our facility and subsequently discharged have a common pattern of injuries; typically, isolated hand and face/ophthalmology. This is likely attributed to the lack of resources in rural facilities to evaluate and develop treatment plans for these injuries; however, only 36% of discharged patients required a bedside procedure. Excluding Level I traumas, head and spine injuries, and patients requiring complex bedside procedures, there was a 13% inappropriate rate of transfer (310/2,350). Development and implementation of a telemedicine system could potentially reduce the transfer and ED discharge rate, thereby improving efficiency and allowing for reallocation of resources as appropriate. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic and Epidemiologic, Level III.
Source: Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery - Category: Surgery Tags: 2021 AAST PODIUM PAPERS Source Type: research