Rochester study shows telemedicine could reduce pediatric ED visits.
Would telemedicine access for children in your community relieve overcrowding, or might it threaten to drain revenues from you department in tough financial times? Should you encourage the development of such programs? Consider these issues: How much time does it take your department to see and discharge children with subacute complaints? If you see them relatively quickly, telemedicine might not be much of a timesaver. How often do you treat children with complaints that telemedicine cannot (or should not) diagnose, such as otitis media, urinary tract infection, or abdominal complaints? The quality of care always should outweigh financial considerations.
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D009518:New York; D017216:Telemedicine