A randomized controlled trial of telemedicine in an emergency department

A prospective study of emergency department telemedicine was carried out at two hospitals in northern New Jersey. One hundred and twenty-two patients met the inclusion criteria. One hundred and four (85%) consented to participate, with 54 being randomized to the telemedicine group and 50 to the control group. Four patients did not complete the protocol. No significant differences were seen between the groups for: occurrence of 72 h emergency department return visits (0% vs 0%); need for additional care (2.3% vs 2.4%); positive patient-physician interaction (98% vs 100%); positive patient-nurse interaction (98% vs 98%); positive overall patient satisfaction (98% vs 95%). The average patient throughput time (time from admission to discharge) for the telemedicine group was 106 min; the average for the control group was 117 min. Telemedicine was found to be a satisfactory technique for pre-selected emergency department patients and was viewed by the physicians as an acceptable method of complementary care.