Telemedicine has shown to be a very beneficial tool for children, one that helps connect the child and their family with different types of healthcare services. Telemedicine has been shown to help with pediatric age groups by providing tools for virtual visits, symptom surveys, and monitoring their vital parameters. Telemedicine also provides necessary education and support.
Quality of care in Emergency departments (ED) directly reflect the overall standards of care at any hospital. However, ED staff is always seen to be highly stressed due to high patient load, severity of health problems, shortage of staff and lack of availability of experts on the ground to make a timely decisions. Thus, telemedicine has been used in a variety of EDs around the world for following purposes:
- Triaging of patients.
- Early diagnosis by involving the right specialists.
- Coordinated care, especially in cases of stroke and other complications.
- Referrals to different centers.
Telemedicine at ED generally involves a provider at the spoke hospital connecting with a provider or multiple providers either at the same hospital, other hospitals or homes. The expert may consult on a diagnosis, provide a second opinion, or guide the spoke provider through a complicated procedure.
Benefits of tele-emergency services:
Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the benefits of Telemedicine in ED. Some of these include:
- Provide expert care for patients.
- Build confidence by ensuring patients get the best care.
- Deliver care closer to patients’ homes.
- Expand capabilities of the spoke hospital through access to providers with a wider range of experience.
- Initiate care faster by not having to wait for specialists to arrive or patients to be transferred.
- Keep small hospitals in business.
- In COVID-19, Telemedicine also contributed to decreasing the number of patients transferred to larger hospitals that may already be at or above maximum capacity.
Choice of Technology:
Use of Telemedicine in EDs require fast and robust technology with a variety of features. This includes:
- Mobile Telemdicine carts that can reach patient’s bedside quickly.
- Ability to conduct both Store-and-Forward and Live teleconsultations, and ability to switch between the two efficiently.
- Easy to access on mobile devices and computers
- Include fully integrated medical devices, including vital signs and ECG monitoring, without requiring manual inputs.
- Ability to display quality radiology images
- Integrates with the Electronic health record systems.
- Connects with various departments, such as Radiology, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Billing etc.
Tech4Life Enterprises has designed its Sojro Telemedicine Carts/Trolleys keeping all the above needs in mind. In addition, the technology is extremely simple, user-friendly and secure. Several hospitals are already benefiting from this technology around the world.