Tag Archives: telehealth
2012
Telepresence Robots Expand Post-Surgical Care Into The Home
Medical telepresence continues to change how patients access health care across the United States. One of the more cutting edge developments in medical video communications has to do with post-operative care. Specifically, Children’s Hospital Boston is now sending telepresence robots home with patients in order to provide follow-up treatment after serious surgical procedures.
The robots, manufactured by a company called Vgo Communications, are designed to provide a direct link between practitioners at Children’s Hospital Boston and recuperating patients – one that eliminates the need for regular return visits to the facility.
As the video above reveals, the robots feature a five-inch telepresence display where a ‘face’ would normally be found, and this interface works in combination with a high definition camera, microphone, and speaker system in order to help doctors and nurses keep in touch with patients at home. This includes not just direct conversations in order to report on recovery, symptoms, and pain, but also the ability to provide high resolution images of surgical wounds in order to track healing and spot any potential problems as early as possible. The robot is not an autonomous device, but one which is remotely controlled by hospital or clinic staff over the same cellular connection that it uses for communications purposes.
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2011
Cisco TelePresence Offers Medical Personnel A New Emergency Management Tool
Telepresence technology is becoming a more common feature of medical practices around the world, but it can also serve an important health care role outside of the traditional hospital setting. In fact, the benefits of video conferencing technology are beginning to work their way into the emergency recovery plans of medical administrators forced to manage the staggering needs of disasters whose scope sometimes overwhelms the capacity of standard medical deployment.
The recent flooding that has threatened over one hundred thousand Thai citizens offers a glimpse into how video conferencing can help the medical establishment provide a higher level of care to disaster victims. In a flood situation, the rising waters pose more than just a danger to residents who are unable to evacuate in time. Rivers that break their banks also cut off access to food, drinkable water, health care, and other important resources. The disruption in travel and distribution channels can effectively isolate populations from the services and supplies that they need, including emergency medics and rescue personnel.
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2011
Telepresence Technology Helps Rural Communities Retain Skilled Workers
It used to be that part of small town life meant watching some of the best and brightest members of your community leave for better employment and education opportunities in more populous cities. But now, thanks to the increased adoption of video conferencing technology, this particular trend might be on the verge of slowing down – or even reversing. In some communities, the advantages of video conferencing and advancements in technology has allowed for the creation of partnerships between universities and other educational institutions in order to provide high quality, professional-level classes. Such classes help professionals keep their careers on track without having to leave for the big city.
One such partnership has developed between the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Otero Junior College, which is located in La Junta, CO. The University of Colorado provides engineering and nursing courses via a telepresence link, which has had an important impact on the rural community’s ability to provide high level healthcare to its residents.
2010
Psychiatric Couches Take to the Air
Video conferencing has become popular in many business environments because it is quicker and more convenient than face-to-face communications. Those benefits are now being applied to the psychiatric profession as a growing number of practices are turning to telepresence systems to alleviate busy schedules and reach individuals in rural areas.
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2010
Virtual Doc Goes to Grade School
This fall, going to the nurse’s office may seem more like going into a television studio, at least for the 800 students attending Central Elementary School in Allentown, Penn. In June, Lehigh Valley Hospital went live with a telemedicine link providing the school with a “virtual doctor.”
Students with coughs, bellyaches, skinned knees and other complaints will still see the nurse face-to-face. But, the nurse’s room has a live, high-definition video feed connecting the grade school to the hospital if more help is needed. The school nurse uses the telemed link to connect to a doctor in the pediatric clinic should a grade-schooler become sick at school. The school nurse can “call-in” in the pediatrician for virtual help to diagnose the problem.
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2010
CMS Proposal Means Money for Telemedicine Providers
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed a credentialing and privileging process for doctors and hospitals providing telemedicine services. The process, which is similar to that recommended by the Joint Commission, cuts out redundant and cumbersome steps in the existing credentialing of telehealth practitioners.
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