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Implementation of Telemedicine in Pediatric and Neonatal Transport
Alison Curfman1, Jacob Groenendyk1, Chris Markham1
1Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
Insights
Telemedicine implementation in pediatric transport improved patient care, especially for those with visual findings. Connectivity was the main barrier, but usefulness increased over time.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Pediatric Transport Medicine
- Telehealth
Background:
- Telemedicine utilizes video technology for transmitting clinical information.
- Pediatric and neonatal transport services can benefit from enhanced communication tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement telemedicine in pediatric and neonatal transport.
- To assess the value and identify barriers of telemedicine in this setting.
Main Methods:
- Prospective pilot study over 12 weeks.
- Pre- and post-implementation surveys assessed attitudes and barriers.
- Video connections were established between transport teams and medical control.
Main Results:
- Telemedicine was offered 65% of the time, initiated in 47%, and successful in 30%.
- Connectivity issues were the primary barrier.
- Telemedicine usefulness increased over time and significantly impacted patient management in 14 cases.
Conclusions:
- Telemedicine successfully implemented in pediatric transport.
- Telemedicine proved most useful for patients with visual findings, altering clinical outcomes.
Objective:
Telemedicine uses video technology to communicate visual clinical information. This study aimed to implement telemedicine in pediatric and neonatal transport, assess its value, and identify barriers.
Methods:
This prospective study implemented telemedicine before transport to a tertiary care children's hospital. A preimplementation survey assessed attitudes toward telemedicine and perceived barriers. During the 12-week pilot, a video connection was initiated between transport and medical control. We collected survey results measuring telemedicine usefulness and hindrance after each use. A postimplementation survey assessed opinions about when telemedicine was useful.
Results:
Initially, 82% of users had no direct experience with telemedicine. Perceived utility and burden of telemedicine varied significantly by department. During the study, telemedicine was offered 65% of the time, initiated in 47% of cases, and successful in 30% of cases. The greatest barrier was connectivity. Over time, transport members and physicians found telemedicine to be significantly more useful. In 14 cases, telemedicine changed patient outcome or management. Providers who reported a change in management rated telemedicine as significantly more useful.
Conclusion:
This prospective pilot successfully implemented telemedicine before pediatric transport. Telemedicine was more useful in patients with visual findings on examination and, in some cases, changed the clinical outcome.
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