title: Telemedicine in the intensive care unit.
abstract: It is estimated if each hospital implemented intensivist physician staffing, approximately 55,000 lives and $4.3 billion dollars could be saved in the United States. However, there is a limited supply of new critical care specialists as teaching hospitals have decreased the size of critical care programs for financial reasons. Tele-ICU can be used to provide coverage in facilities that cannot support a full-time specialist in critical care medicine and as an adjunct to facilities without 24-hour intensivist coverage. This article discusses the benefits and challenges of tele-ICU and its implications for nursing practice.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Informatics, Littleton Adventist Hospital, Centura Health System, 7700 South Broadway, Littleton, CO 80122, USA. marilynnielsen@centura.org
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Jodi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saracino
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D017146:Models, Organizational; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055817:Telenursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce