Rural health, telemedicine and access for pediatric surgery

Access to care for children requiring pediatric general or specialty surgery or trauma care who live in rural areas remains a challenge in the United States.

The expertise of specialists in tertiary centers can be extended to rural and underserved areas using telemedicine. There are challenges to making these resources available that need to be methodically approached to facilitate appropriate relationships between hospitals and providers. Programs, such as the National Pediatric Readiness Project and the HRSA Emergency Medical Services for Children Program enhance the capability of the emergency care system to function optimally, keep children at the home hospital if resources are available, facilitate transfer of patients and relationship building, and develop necessary transfer protocols and guidelines between hospitals.

Telehealth services have the potential to enhance the reach of tertiary care for children in rural and underserved areas where surgical and trauma specialty care is not readily available, particularly when used to augment the objectives of national programs.