Published: Monday, 5/19/2014 - Updated: 17 seconds ago
BY JOHN WHAPHAM SPECIAL TO THE BLADE
This is one of a series of columns about health issues written by staff members of ProMedica, Mercy, Toledo Clinic, and the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio.
Every second counts for a patient experiencing a stroke or sustaining a traumatic injury.
More than 750,000 strokes occur each year in the United States with only 5 percent to 6 percent currently getting intervention and treatment. Early diagnosis and the start of treatment is essential.
Telemedicine is the use of real-time medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic video communications and tele-presence to improve a patients clinical health status (americantelemed.org). It is the future of global health care and is a critical tool for stroke and other traumatic time-sensitive illnesses.
Time is everything when a patient is having a stroke or has been seriously injured in an accident. The telemedical robot enables specialists at a medical center to have a live presence in a completely different location allowing specialists to assess the patient, view films and talk with care givers to determine the best course of treatment in concert with physicians present remotely. Instead of relying just on phone contact, physicians can see and hear and examine firsthand what is happening with a patient and determine the best course of treatment.
Various medical devices can be transmitted via the robot, including stethoscope, EKG and ultrasound. The autonomous, drivable robot allows a decrease in response time to assessment and thereby acute treatment.
In addition a hospitals ground and air ambulance can also be equipped with telemedicine units, allowing patients to be assessed at the scene of an accident or in flight while keeping in contact with the physicians on the ground. The portable equipment can also project in-field ultrasound to check for traumatic internal injuries. This helps the receiving hospital be prepared for emergent surgery or other treatments.
Other benefits of Telemedicine include:
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Tools available to combat stroke