Wireless telemedicine for the delivery of specialist paediatric services to the bedside.
A mobile interactive online health system was used to conduct virtual ward rounds at a regional hospital which had no specialist paediatrician. The system was wireless, which allowed telepaediatric services to be delivered direct to the bedside. Between December 2004 and May 2005, 43 virtual ward rounds were coordinated between specialists based in Brisbane and local staff at the Gladstone Hospital. Eighty-six consultations were provided for 64 patients. The most common conditions included asthma (27%), chest infections (12%), gastroenteritis (10%) and urinary tract infections (10%). In the majority of cases, there were partial (67%) or complete changes (11%) in the clinical management of patients. Specialist services were offered by a team of 13 clinicians at the Royal Children's Hospital: 10 general paediatricians, two physiotherapists and one registered nurse. Feedback from all consultants involved in the service and local staff in Gladstone was extremely positive. In 43 videoconference calls there were three technical problems, probably due to an intermittent mains power supply at the regional hospital. There appears to be potential for other rural and regional hospitals to adopt this model of service delivery.
Smith
Anthony C
AC
Centre for Online Health, University of Queensland, Australia. a.smith@pobox.com
Coulthard
Mark
M
Clark
Ron
R
Armfield
Nigel
N
Taylor
Shauna
S
Goff
Robyn
R
Mottarelly
Ian
I
Youngberry
Karen
K
Isles
Alan
A
McCrossin
Robert
R
Wootton
Richard
R
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011793:Queensland; D012371:Robotics; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013038:Specialization; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data