Experience of The National Emergency Tele-Critical Care Network

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Systems
• Emergency Medicine
• Telemedicine

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic highlighted U.S. healthcare system weaknesses, particularly rural inequities during patient surges.
• Critical access and small community hospitals faced challenges transferring overloaded patients to referral centers.
• Clinicians experienced moral injury due to exceeding practice scope and care triage needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a free, ad hoc consultation service for clinicians needing critical care support.
• To create a "911" system for emergency tele-critical care.
• To leverage mobile technology for rapid expert communication.

Main Methods:

• The National Emergency Tele-Critical Care Network (NETCCN) was implemented.
• Utilized mobile devices and user-friendly applications for consultations.
• Provided remote expert assistance to clinicians in need.

Main Results:

• NETCCN delivered 1,863 days of coverage to 60 hospitals across 17 states and U.S. territories.
• The service operated at a significantly lower cost than in-person emergency support.
• Facilitated rapid communication between frontline clinicians and critical care experts.

Conclusions:

• The NETCCN experience demonstrates the value of telemedicine in disaster medical systems.
• Recommendations are provided for integrating similar telemedicine programs.
• Future development should focus on enhancing disaster preparedness and rural healthcare access.