{"id":8130,"date":"2015-05-20T19:30:17","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T19:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.edrugstore.md\/blog\/?p=8130"},"modified":"2015-05-21T18:39:19","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T18:39:19","slug":"7-reasons-children-stand-to-benefit-from-telemedicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/7-reasons-children-stand-to-benefit-from-telemedicine\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Reasons Children Stand to Benefit from Telemedicine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Telemedicine's
Telemedicine’s interactive video capabilities allow remote specialists to examine patients to offer second opinions or counsel local doctors unsure of how to proceed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Telemedicine is playing an ever-increasing role in the health care industry as health professionals struggle to meet the rising demand for medical care with resources that aren\u2019t increasing at as rapid a pace. Among the biggest beneficiaries of telemedicine\u2019s expansion will be children, who make up one of the more\u00a0vulnerable segments of the health care market.<\/p>\n

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) defines telemedicine as \u00a8the remote delivery of health care services and clinical information using telecommunications technology.\u00a8 And as the practice of telemedicine evolves and the technology it uses improves, the possibilities of telemedicine keep expanding.<\/p>\n

Telemedicine Networks Proliferate<\/b><\/p>\n

ATA estimates that more than 200 telemedicine networks are up and running across the country. These networks link together roughly 3,500 service sites with more being added all the time. In 2011, the Veterans Health Administration performed more than 300,000 remote consultations that were facilitated by telemedicine, according to the ATA, which also reports that well over half of all U.S. hospitals use some form of telemedicine.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0younger patients have some additional reasons to like certain telemedicine features, which help set it apart from normal clinical care.<\/p>\n

\"Among
Among the most vulnerable of patients are children, many of whom are fearful of visits to the doctor or hospital.<\/figcaption><\/figure>Case Study from Oregon <\/b><\/p>\n

A case study from a pediatrics clinic in Coos Bay, Oregon, points out some of the more obvious benefits of telemedicine, benefits that for the most part would be enjoyed by patients of any age who are\u00a0suffering from a serious illness and live far from big-city hospitals and specialists.<\/p>\n

In a March 2014 blog posting on the website of Bay Clinic Pediatrics<\/a>, Jon Yost, M.D., recounts the story of an 8-year-old patient named Ryan. The boy was seriously ill with pneumonia \u00a8that was robbing his bloodstream of oxygen,\u00a8 and Dr. Yost felt sure he would have to send the boy to a hospital in Portland — roughly 250 miles away — for specialized care.<\/p>\n

As it turned out, the family disruption and expense of an emergency trip to Portland wasn\u2019t necessary, thanks to interactive video technology that allowed specialists from Oregon Health & Science University’s Doernbecher Children\u2019s Hospital to consult on Ryan\u2019s case remotely.<\/p>\n

Admitted to Local Hospital <\/b><\/p>\n

Admitted to Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay after pneumonia was detected in both of his lungs, Ryan rapidly deteriorated. Desperately in need of more oxygen, the boy\u2019s breathing became more labored and rapid. In his blog, Dr. Yost tells what happened next:<\/p>\n

“We decided to obtain a telemedicine consultation with Doernbecher\u2019s pediatric intensive care specialists. Like Skype on steroids, telemedicine offers ultra-high definition video and audio conferencing. \u00a0An OHSU\u00a0Pediatric Intensive Care Unit\u00a0doctor can position the robotic camera as needed, zooming in and out to examine a patient in Coos Bay.\u00a8<\/p>\n

The first OHSU pediatric intensivist to examine Ryan remotely was Lauren Ibsen, M.D. Using the flexible features of interactive live video, Dr. Ibsen was able to remotely study Ryan\u2019s vitals and lab results in real time and to direct questions to Ryan\u2019s parents, who were at the boy\u2019s hospital bedside. The whole process fascinated Ryan\u2019s mother, Michelle, who marveled at the ease with which \u00a8she (Dr. Ibsen) could zoom in on his chest.\u00a8 Dr. Ibsen told Ryan\u2019s local doctors that she felt confident the patient could remain in Coos Bay and offered a couple of suggestions for improving his care.<\/p>\n

\"In
In this example of telemedicine at work, a Mexican cardiologist checks out an echocardiogram of a patient in a rural or remote location and is able to discuss recommendations for care.<\/figcaption><\/figure> Another Specialist Called In <\/b><\/p>\n

A lung x-ray taken the following day made it clear than Ryan was not yet out of the woods, prompting Ryan\u2019s doctors in Coos Bay to call upon yet another Doernbecher specialist, Miles Ellenby, M.D., to get his views on the boy\u2019s treatment. Dr. Ellenby approved of the therapies already being used in Ryan\u2019s case and saw no need for further changes to be implemented. As the day progressed, Dr. Ellenby continued to check in on Ryan via the video conferencing tool.<\/p>\n

Of the remote input from Doernbecher\u2019s pediatric intensive care specialists, Ryan\u2019s mother said \u00a8it was reassuring to know that there was not another [treatment] option\u00a8 available, and that \u00a8everything was being done appropriately.\u00a8<\/p>\n

With the remote guidance from Portland, Ryan\u2019s condition soon began to improve. Before long, the boy no longer needed to be on intravenous medication or supplemental oxygen, and he was released from the hospital and allowed to return home. Ryan\u2019s case, as well as others Dr. Yost has seen, illustrates several ways in which telemedicine can benefit young patients:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Improves<\/strong> Patient Care:<\/b> <\/b>Overall patient care is improved when specialists can consult on difficult cases remotely. As Dr. Yost points out, Coos Bay has eight well-trained pediatricians, all of whom spend the bulk of their time seeing patients with mild illness in the doctors\u2019 respective offices. Thanks to modern vaccines, these pediatricians are rarely called upon to utilize their hospital skills. Dr. Yost observes, \u00a8Having a specialist co-manage our patients keeps us up to date.\u00a8\n<\/li>\n
  2. Bolsters Patient Safety:<\/b> <\/b>Telemedicine improves patients\u2019 well-being by providing an extra safety net for patients who are critically ill. Dr. Yost says that in consulting with specialists remotely on care for specific patients, the specialists not only provide extra know-how but also help local doctors focus on some of the basics, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and proper placement of endotracheal tubes.<\/li>\n
  3. Increases Local Staff Confidence:<\/b> Backup from remote specialists improves the confidence of medical personnel at the local level. When specialists endorse treatment methods proposed locally, nurses and others dealing with patient care feel much more confident that the proper method of treatment is being followed.<\/li>\n
  4. Helps Keep Families Together:<\/b> For many parents, having a child sent off to a big-city hospital hundreds of miles from home creates extreme hardship. Dr. Yost notes that in Ryan\u2019s case, his sister was also sick but not sick enough to be hospitalized. If it had been necessary to send Ryan 250 miles away to Portland, the parents would have been faced with the need to attend to both children\u2019s needs even though they were hours apart. This might well have forced one parent to accompany Ryan to Portland while the other remained at home to care for his sibling. Thanks to telemedicine-enabled remote consultations, the whole family was able to remain in Coos Bay.<\/li>\n
  5. Helps Keep Health Care Costs Down: <\/b>Although the equipment and technology necessary to facilitate telemedicine are not without their costs, such expenses\u00a0are usually far less than the costs of transporting patients to hospitals great distances from their homes. Dr. Yost said transporting a critically ill patient from Coos Bay to Portland could cost as much as $30,000. On top of that, big-city hospital stays are usually more expensive than care at local facilities. In Ryan\u2019s case, for example, dealing with his treatment remotely allowed highly trained respiratory therapists and pediatric ICU nurses to stay in Portland where they could also attend to the needs of other critically ill patients.<\/li>\n
  6. Eases Fears of Doctor-Shy Children:<\/b> For most children, the idea of a trip to the doctor\u2019s office is frightening, and the need to be hospitalized can be terrifying. Telemedicine is not just for such dire medical emergencies as experienced in Ryan\u2019s case. It also can allow doctors to remotely monitor patient recovery after an illness or even provide the means for a doctor\u2019s consultation with a child who lives in a rural area far from the doctor\u2019s office.<\/li>\n
  7. Expands Access to Medical Expertise:\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/b>Only a very limited number of medical professionals have the expertise to deal with certain rare illnesses. In the event a child is stricken with such an uncommon illness at a location far from doctors who are experienced in its treatment, telemedicine offers local doctors an opportunity to tap into that expertise remotely. In the past, getting treatment for rare medical conditions necessitated transferring the patient from his home area to a hospital at which expert specialists are accredited.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Photo credits: <\/i>Cisco Pics<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Dorothy Northcutt Gray<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Intel Free Press<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

    Don Amerman<\/i><\/a> is a freelance author who writes extensively about a wide array of nutrition and health-related topics. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Telemedicine is playing an ever-increasing role in the health care industry as health professionals struggle to meet the rising demand for medical care with resources that aren\u2019t increasing at as rapid a pace. Among the biggest beneficiaries of telemedicine\u2019s expansion will be children, who make up one of the more\u00a0vulnerable segments of the health care […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-health-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t