To Infinity and Beyond: The Past, Present, and Future of Tele-Anesthesia

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Medical Informatics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Anesthesia practice is expanding into the perioperative domain, necessitating innovative technological solutions.
• Telemedicine has been adopted across specialties, but its consistent application in anesthesiology requires evaluation.
• Existing reports show successful preoperative and intraoperative telemedicine use, but comprehensive analysis is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review the literature on telemedicine in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative anesthetic care.
• To analyze the significant hurdles in implementing teleconsultation services within anesthesiology.
• To identify areas requiring further research for effective telemedicine integration in perioperative settings.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of telemedicine applications in anesthesia.
• Analysis of reported challenges including patient selection, satisfaction, and technical issues.
• Exploration of security, licensure, and cost-benefit aspects of teleconsultation.

Main Results:

• Telemedicine has demonstrated successful applications in preoperative and intraoperative anesthesia care.
• Key challenges include patient and provider satisfaction, equipment reliability, and data security.
• Issues such as medical licensure compliance and cost-effectiveness require further investigation.

Conclusions:

• Telemedicine holds potential for innovative anesthesia delivery, particularly in the perioperative setting.
• Addressing implementation hurdles like data security and patient selection is crucial for widespread adoption.
• Sharing knowledge and best practices among institutions is vital for advancing telemedicine in anesthesiology.