Clinical assessment and management of general surgery patients via synchronous telehealth
| Autor: | Steven M. Cain, Caitlin Fuhrman, Brandon Carter, Robin Smith, Lauren Sturm, Travis Mason, Irfan Bojicic, Robert J. Moore |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Clinical team
Adult Male Telemedicine medicine.medical_specialty 020205 medical informatics Adolescent Health Informatics Physical examination 02 engineering and technology Telehealth Military medicine 03 medical and health sciences Young Adult 0302 clinical medicine Cost Savings Germany 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering medicine Humans Routine clinical practice Physician assistants Child Military Medicine Aged Aged 80 and over medicine.diagnostic_test Geographic area business.industry General surgery Middle Aged United States 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis Child Preschool General Surgery Female business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of telemedicine and telecare. 23(2) |
| ISSN: | 1758-1109 |
| Popis: | Objective This paper describes how a clinical team at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) successfully integrated synchronous telehealth (TH) into their routine clinical practice. Methods and materials Synchronous TH encounters were performed using Polycom® software on surgeons’ computers with high-definition (HD) cameras on monitors at distant sites and PolyCom HDX9000® Telehealth Practitioner Carts at originating sites. Patients provided consented and were presented to general surgeons by nurses and medical technicians at Army health clinics throughout the European Theater. Results In calendar year (CY) 2014, five general surgeons and two surgical physician assistants (PAs) at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center along with registered nurses (RNs) at six originating clinic sites throughout Europe completed 130 synchronous TH encounters for 101 general surgery patients resulting in 73 completed and 16 recommended surgeries. Eighty-eight percent of patients had a completed or recommended surgery. No surgeries or procedures planned after initial TH evaluation were cancelled. Originating site clinics ranged in distance from 68 miles to 517 miles. Acceptance by providers, patients and clinic staff was high. Conclusion Synchronous TH was effective and safe in evaluating common general surgical conditions. We excluded sensitive and complex conditions requiring a nuanced physical examination. The TH efforts of the general surgery staff have resulted in high-quality, seamless and predictable TH activities that continue to expand into other surgical and medical specialties beyond general surgery. Seven surgeons and two PAs use synchronous TH regularly serving patients over a broad geographic area. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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