Use of telemedicine to follow special needs children

Two remote telemedicine clinics were established linked to a tertiary care center to improve access for special health care needs children (SHCNC). The remote clinics were established at Lamar University's School of Nursing (1996) and Stephen F. Austin University's School of Nursing (1997), and they were linked to the pediatric interdisciplinary team at the University of Texas Medical Branch. These clinics were evaluated to determine if the tertiary interdisciplinary team could effectively assess and plan interventions for SHCNC and to assess patient and caregivers satisfaction with this intervention. The interdisciplinary team and the patients and their families were highly satisfied with this arrangement.