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Telemedicine Consultation: Lessons Learned from the Pararescue Experience
Austin Gottschalk1, Jacob F Oeding2, Mason M Blacker3
1Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, NM.
Summary
Telemedicine consultations aided U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen in complex military medical cases. Training and clear communication are key to optimizing telemedicine effectiveness in remote environments.
Area of Science:
- Military Medicine
- Medical Technology
- Emergency Medical Services
Background:
- Telemedicine is a vital capability for military medical operations in remote and challenging environments.
- Existing literature lacks real-world case studies on military telemedicine implementation.
- Prolonged casualty care and knowledge gaps necessitate advanced medical solutions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review real-world telemedicine consultations conducted during U.S. Air Force Pararescue missions.
- To identify factors influencing the effectiveness of telemedicine in austere settings.
- To provide lessons learned for optimizing military telemedicine capabilities.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 13 telemedicine consultations from U.S. Air Force Pararescue missions (2010-2020).
- Interviews with participating flight surgeons (FS) and Pararescuemen (PJ).
- Evaluation of mission parameters, outcomes, and communication factors using after-action reports.
Main Results:
- Telemedicine consultations supported 28 patients with diverse conditions including cave entrapment, trauma, and burns.
- Common recommendations involved medication, mission advisement, and burn care.
- Consultation effectiveness was hindered by unclear communication and degraded signal quality.
Conclusions:
- Telemedicine is valuable for complex cases and rare procedures, but does not replace foundational medical training.
- Optimizing telemedicine requires rehearsals and training focused on shared patient understanding (e.g., ATMIST, MARCH PAWS).
- Telemedicine can potentially reduce medical errors and support medic decision-making under stress.
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