Robotic telepresence versus standardly supervised stroke alert team assessments

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Emergency Medicine
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Telemedicine enhances emergency stroke care access across diverse geographic locations.
• This study compares robotic telepresence with standard vascular neurologist (VN) supervision for stroke alerts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if robotic telepresence impacts the speed of stroke assessment compared to standard VN supervision.
• To evaluate the safety outcomes of robotic telepresence in acute stroke care.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of stroke alert data from 2009-2012 at a primary stroke center.
• Primary outcome: duration from stroke alert activation to treatment or downgrade.
• Comparison between robotic telepresence and standard VN-supervised assessments.

Main Results:

• Robotic telepresence assessments were 8.6 minutes longer on average (p=0.03).
• For acute ischemic stroke patients receiving IV thrombolysis, robotic assessments were 18 minutes longer (p=0.01).
• Safety outcomes (protocol violations, hemorrhagic complications, mortality) were comparable and low in both groups.

Conclusions:

• Standard VN-supervised stroke assessments are quicker than robotic telepresence.
• Robotic telepresence demonstrates excellent safety and can be a valuable tool when on-site VN expertise is limited.