Deployed provider satisfaction with infectious disease teleconsulation
Thomas Schmidt1, Charles M Lappan, Duane R Hospenthal
1San Antonio Military Medical Center, 3551 Roger Brook Drive, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
Military Medicine
|February 18, 2012
Summary
The Army Knowledge Online infectious disease teleconsultation service offers timely and helpful consultations to deployed health care providers. This service significantly impacts patient care and evacuation plans, proving its value in remote medical support.
Area of Science:
- Military Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Telemedicine
Background:
- Deployed health care providers require specialized medical consultations.
- Army Knowledge Online (AKO) offers an email-based teleconsultation service for infectious disease support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact and utility of the AKO infectious disease teleconsultation service.
- To assess if teleconsultations influenced patient care or evacuation plans.
- To determine the timeliness and clarity of teleconsultation responses.
Main Methods:
- A performance improvement project was conducted.
- Health care providers using the service between January 2010 and December 2010 were surveyed.
- A 9-question survey assessed the helpfulness, impact on care/evacuation, timeliness, and clarity of responses.
Main Results:
- 123 consults were received, primarily from Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Responses were provided within an average of 3.3 hours.
- Surveys (n=87) indicated high satisfaction: Response Helpful (4.6/5), Response Timely (4.8/5), Recommendations Clear (4.6/5), Response Answered Your Question (4.8/5).
- Teleconsultation influenced care (3.3/5) and evacuation plans (1.8/5).
Conclusions:
- The infectious disease teleconsultation service is timely, helpful, and relevant.
- The service plays a crucial role in guiding patient evacuation decisions.
- AKO teleconsultation enhances medical support for deployed personnel.
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