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Telemedicine systems and telecommunications.

Successful telemedicine requires appropriate equipment and some kind of telecommunications medium. However, successful telemedicine requires more than just technology. The three essential components are the personnel, the technology and a liberal measure of perseverance. Before the technology can be selected, it is necessary to consider the nature of the information to be transmitted between the sites and the time frame over which it must be sent to achieve the desired clinical goals, because this will determine the choice of equipment and the telecommunications network. Factors to be considered include the types of information to be transmitted, the quantity of information to be transferred, and security and privacy (e.g. in Europe and the USA there has been recent legislation about data security). The choice of transmission method for any telemedicine application is, in practice, a compromise between what one would like and what one can afford. In practice, various trade-offs have to be made, which include cost, availability of the service (i.e. the coverage), bandwidth, reliability and quality of service. Equipment and the telecommunications medium are a necessary, but not sufficient, pre-requisite for a successful telemedicine programme. The right people are also required and they must be properly trained.

Computer Terminals↗

Telemedicine as a means of delivering cognitive-behavioural therapy to rural and remote mental health clients.

We explored the feasibility and acceptability of delivering cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) via videoconference to clients with depression and/or anxiety living in rural north Queensland. The study involved 15 mental health clients and their five case managers. First, each case manager was instructed in the use of telemedicine for clinical consultation, and given training in CBT. This was done via videoconference. Then the clients were introduced to telemedicine. Following six to eight intensive weekly sessions of CBT, there was improvement in certain clinical outcome measures (i.e. the Mental Health Inventory and the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale). There was a significant improvement (P<0.05 using a t-test) in the client Mental Health Inventory scores before (mean = 109) and after treatment (mean = 148). However, in the absence of a control condition, it was not possible to conclude that the treatment had a specific effect on the disorders studied. Both clients and case managers found telemedicine consultations acceptable. Clients' ratings ranged from 3 to 4.5, while case mangers' ratings ranged from 3 to 5 ('average' to 'much better than average').

Anxiety Disorders↗

Cultural aspects of telepsychiatry.

Telepsychiatry may involve working with clinicians, patients and systems of care that are both geographically and culturally distinct. In this context, culturally appropriate care is an important component of telepsychiatry. The outline for cultural formulation from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) provides general principles for addressing these issues. Two components of the outline are particularly relevant in telepsychiatry: (1) how the cultural background of patients (i.e. their cultural identity) influences their comfort with technology; and (2) the effect of cultural differences on the patient-provider relationship. Cultural differences between patient and provider are often highlighted in telepsychiatry by the patient and provider location (e.g. rural versus urban differences). Familiarity with the rural community and regular contact and feedback are important. Future research should examine the effect of telepsychiatry on patient-provider relationships, patient attitudes towards care and, most importantly, patient outcomes.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Client acceptability and quality of life--telepsychiatry compared to in-person consultation.

We evaluated client satisfaction and one-month mental health outcomes for telepsychiatry clients compared with those undergoing a face-to-face psychiatric consultation. Clients were asked to complete an SF-12 health survey before the consultation, a satisfaction survey after the consultation, and were contacted for a one-month follow-up SF-12 survey by telephone. Forty-eight of the 62 initial responders (77%) were available for contact by telephone after one month. Telepsychiatry clients demonstrated significant improvements on pre- and post-SF-12 mental health measures (t = 3.7; P = 0.001), while there was no change for the in-person group (t = 1.0; P = 0.35). Telepsychiatry clients felt that they could present the same information as in person (93%), were satisfied with their session (96%), and were comfortable in their ability to talk (85%); this was similar to the in-person clients. They reflected slightly lower levels of satisfaction regarding feeling supported and encouraged than did the in-person clients. Both telepsychiatry clients and traditional face-to-face psychiatry clients were satisfied with their experience of mental health care service provision, and mental health improvements were evident in the telepsychiatry patients.

Adolescent↗

Videophone support for an eight-year-old boy undergoing paediatric bone marrow transplantation.

We report the use of an Internet-based videophone to support a child undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Over the Christmas period, an eight-year-old boy with an underlying diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a history of absconding and aggressive non-compliant behaviour was treated by BMT. We installed an Internet-based videophone in the patient's hospital room two days post-transplant. A second videophone was installed in the patient's home and used the existing home telephone line. In all, 14 videophone calls were made over a nine-day period. The videophone improved interfamily social and emotional support, and appeared to reduce some of the inherent anxiety and distress resulting from paediatric bone marrow transplantation.

Acute Disease↗

An assessment of parental satisfaction with mode of delivery of specialist advice for paediatric cardiology: face-to-face versus videoconference.

Comparisons of parental satisfaction were made after specialist paediatric cardiology consultations were conducted either by conventional face-to-face delivery or telemedicine. Satisfaction statements were rated by 100 parents: 20 who experienced telemedicine; 56 with new children seen in the outreach clinics; 24 with children on review whose next appointment was at the specialist centre. There was general satisfaction with both types of consultations, but significant differences were noted. Those who had videoconferences felt that they had received an explanation about how the specialist advice would be obtained, and that they could see the pictures being discussed clearly. Those who had experienced telemedicine believed that teleconsultations could save them travelling time and money and they found the technical aspects of sound and picture quality acceptable. They were not discomforted by the technology and felt reassured by the consultation with the specialist. However, there was some ambivalence towards the statements suggesting that teleconsultations could take the place of conventional face-to-face consultations.

Cardiology↗

The development of an educational collaborative to address comprehensive pressure ulcer prevention and treatment.

The prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers is a growing public policy concern. Driven by a more informed consumer and the exploding costs of care, policy makers are looking for ways to integrate health-care research and long-term care practices in an effort to improve the quality of care and ultimately reduce costs. This paper presents a case study that demonstrates how training is being integrated at the facility level, utilizing a collaborative. The collaborative was a joint public-private partnership supported through resources from state, federal, and private agencies, with an overarching goal of delivering high-quality, easily accessible geriatric education and training. Direct care providers and other practitioners were recruited to attend a live, interactive videoconference that featured nationally known experts. The content of the educational program was drawn from nationally accepted guidelines that discuss appropriate procedures for wound cleansing, dressings, positioning techniques, proper nutrition and risk assessment protocols. Evaluation of the program indicated that the highest-rated objectives related to the application of training content in the implementation of treatment and prevention procedures important to quality patient care. An examination of publicly available data revealed that an escalating increase in the percentage of facilities in the state cited for deficiencies because of the incidence of pressure ulcers from 1996 to 1999 was reversed in 2000, subsequent to the videoconference. Future programs are planned to sustain the availability of opportunities for practitioners to get critical updates from the experts in the field via live interactive sessions.

Analysis of Variance↗

Geriatric education across 94 million acres: adapting conference programming in a rural state.

Montana, a predominantly rural state, with a unique blend of geography and history, low population density, and cultural diversity represents the challenges for program development and implementation across remote areas. The paper discusses two statewide multidisciplinary geriatric education programs for health professionals offered by the recently established Montana Geriatric Education Center (MTGEC); use of telecommunications technology; collaborations with Geriatric Education Centers (GECs) and the Montana Healthcare Telemedicine Alliance (MHTA); and training outcomes, insights, and implications for continuing education of health professionals who practice in hard-to-reach regions. In addition, data from a statewide needs assessment are presented specific to preferred format. The MTGEC training model that combined traditional classroom and videoconference increased attendance by twofold and may be adapted in other regions to train providers in remote areas of the U.S.

Adult↗

Telementoring during endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: To explore the use of telementoring for distant teaching and training in endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). METHODS: According to a prospectively designed study protocol, 48 patients underwent EVAR: the first 12 patients (group A) were treated at a secondary care center by an experienced interventionist, who was training the local team; a further 12 patients (group B) were operated by the local team at their secondary center with telementoring by the experienced operator from an adjacent suite; and the last 24 patients (group C) were operated by the local team with remote telementoring support from the experienced interventionist at a tertiary care center. Telementoring was performed using 3 video sources; images were transmitted using 4 ISDN lines. EVAR was performed using intravascular ultrasound and simultaneous fluoroscopy to obtain road mapping of the abdominal aorta and its branches, as well as for identifying the origins of the renal arteries, assessing the aortic neck, and monitoring the attachment of the stent-graft proximally and distally. RESULTS: Average duration of telementoring was 2.1 hours during the first 12 patients (group B) and 1.2 hours for the remaining 24 patients (group C). There was no difference in procedural duration (127+/-59 minutes in group A, 120+/-4 minutes in group B, and 119+/-39 minutes in group C; p=0.94) or the mean time spent in the ICU (26+/-15 hours in group A, 22+/-2 hours in group B, and 22+/-11 hours for group C; p=0.95). The length of hospital stay (11+/-4 days in group A, 9+/-4 days in group B, and 7+/-1 days in group C; p=0.002) was significantly different only for group C versus A (p=0.002). Only 1 (8.3%) patient (in group A: EVAR performed by the experienced operator) required conversion to open surgery because of iliac artery rupture. This was the only conversion (and the only death) in the entire study group (1/12 in group A versus 0/36 in groups B + C, p=0.31). CONCLUSIONS: Telementoring for EVAR is feasible and shows promising results. It may serve as a model for development of similar projects for teaching other invasive procedures in cardiovascular medicine.

Aged↗

ATLes: the strategic application of Web-based technology to address learning objectives and enhance classroom discussion in a veterinary pathology course.

A case-based program called ATLes (Adaptive Teaching and Learning Environments) was designed for use in a systemic pathology course and implemented over a four-year period. Second-year veterinary students working in small collaborative learning groups used the program prior to their weekly pathology laboratory. The goals of ATLes were to better address specific learning objectives in the course (notably the appreciation of pathophysiology), to solve previously identified problems associated with information overload and information sorting that commonly occur as part of discovery-based processes, and to enhance classroom discussion. The program was also designed to model and allow students to practice the problem-oriented approach to clinical cases, thereby enabling them to study pathology in a relevant clinical context. Features included opportunities for students to obtain additional information on the case by requesting specific laboratory tests and/or diagnostic procedures. However, students were also required to justify their diagnostic plans and to provide mechanistic analyses. The use of ATLes met most of these objectives. Student acceptance was high, and students favorably reviewed the online ''Content Links'' that made useful information more readily accessible and level appropriate. Students came to the lab better prepared to engage in an in-depth and high-quality discussion and were better able to connect clinical problems to underlying changes in tissue (lesions). However, many students indicated that the required time on task prior to lab might have been excessive relative to what they thought they learned. The classroom discussion, although improved, was not elevated to the expected level-most likely reflecting other missing elements of the learning environment, including the existing student culture and the students' current discussion skills. This article briefly discusses the lessons learned from ATLes and how similar case-based exercises might be combined with other approaches to enhance and enliven classroom discussions in the veterinary curriculum.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

Teaching the didactic aspects of ophthalmology and dermatology using an off-site instructor.

A shortage of veterinary educators in various clinical disciplines is requiring faculty at veterinary schools to develop novel approaches to teaching professional students a core of information in each major clinical discipline. This article presents experiences at Washington State University (WSU) College of Veterinary Medicine in the teaching of the didactic components of ophthalmology and dermatology over four years using pre-prepared lectures developed by off-site instructors. The methodology of lecture preparation and presentation and various perspectives of student satisfaction with this teaching/learning method are presented.

Animals↗

Telemedicine in dermatology: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical equivalence, patient and clinician opinion of store-and-forward (SF) teledermatology with conventional face-to-face consultation in setting a management plan for new, adult outpatient referrals. To assess the equivalence of digital photography and dermoscopy with conventional face-to-face consultation in the management of suspected cases of malignant melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma. DESIGN: For the SF teledermatology aspect of the study, a prospective randomised controlled trial was carried out. SETTING: Eight general practices and a hospital dermatology department in Sheffield, England. PARTICIPANTS: For the SF teledermatology part of the study, adults (aged 16 years and over) requiring a new (not seen by a hospital dermatologist within the past year) consultant opinion. For the digital photography element of the study, adults (aged 16 years and over) requiring a consultant opinion due to suspicion of malignant melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma. INTERVENTIONS: Patients in the telemedicine intervention group were referred to the consultant, and managed as far as possible using one or more digital still images and a structured, electronic referral and reply. The control group was managed by conventional hospital outpatient consultation. Patients referred to the 2-week wait clinic were invited to have a series of digital photographs, with and without dermoscopy, immediately before their face-to-face consultation. A second consultant viewed these and outlined a diagnosis and management plan which was compared with the actual management. Both were compared with the definitive diagnosis (either the final clinical or histological diagnosis, where undertaken). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The concordance between the consultant who had managed the case and an independent consultant who gave a second face-to-face opinion. RESULTS: A total of 208 patients were recruited. There was also a greater loss of control cases (26%) than intervention cases (17%). A statistically significant difference in ages between the two groups completing the study (mean age of intervention group 43.6 years, control group 49.7 years, p = 0.039) indicates that this may have introduced a bias between the two groups. A further possible source of bias is the delay (mean difference of 54 days, p = 0.0001) between the SF opinion and the second opinion in the SF group, whereas control patients usually received their second opinion on the same day as their outpatient appointment. In 55% (51/92) of telemedicine cases and 78% (57/73) of control cases, the diagnosis concurred, with the second opinion. In 55% (51/92) of telemedicine cases and 84% (61/73) of control cases, the management plan concurred with the second opinion. Of the 92 telemedicine cases, 53 were judged also to require a face-to-face consultation, mainly to establish a diagnosis and treatment plan. With the digital photography for suspected skin cancer aspect of the study, it was found that an unexpectedly high proportion (33%, 85/256) of referrals proved to have a malignancy or a severely dysplastic lesion, with almost 22% having a malignant melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma, possibly reflecting the rise in incidence of skin cancers reported elsewhere. When both standard and dermoscopic images were employed, diagnostic concordance was modest (68%). The approach was highly sensitive (98%, 95% CI: 92 to 99%), at the expense of specificity (43%, 95% CI: 36 to 51%). Overall, 30% of cases would not have needed to be seen face-to-face, though two squamous cell carcinomas would have been missed (a number-needed-to-harm of 153). If the highest level of clinician confidence had been applied, no cancers would have been missed, but only 20% of patients would have avoided an outpatient appointment. CONCLUSIONS: In view of the difficulties in recruitment and the potential biases introduced by selective loss of patients and the delay in obtaining a valid second opinion in the study group, no valid conclusions can be drawn regarding the clinical performance of this model of SF telemedicine. With regard to digital photography in suspected skin cancer, it is unlikely that this approach can dramatically reduce the need for conventional clinical consultations, whilst still maintaining clinical safety. Additional research on the assessment of diagnostic and management agreement between clinicians would be valuable in this and other fields of research.

Adolescent↗

A comparative study on the utility of telehealth in the provision of rheumatology services to rural and northern communities.

INTRODUCTION: There is a critical shortage of specialty rheumatology services in Canada. The impact is felt more in rural and northern regions than on urban areas of the country. In response to the need, this study was conducted to compare the satisfaction of referring physicians with rheumatology services through conventional visiting specialty clinics; email consults and regularly scheduled videoconference. METHODS: Three rural communities of similar size and availability of physician services were assigned to one of the following means of providing outreach rheumatology services: visiting rheumatologist clinics, email access to rheumatologist and scheduled videoconference consults. A case based pre/post test, and post satisfaction questionnaire were administered to the primary care physicians in these communities. Patient outcomes, and physician ability and confidence in managing specific arthritis problems, were measured. RESULTS: Physicians responded positively to all methods of rheumatology service provision. The videoconference group were the most positive. The reasons were: immediate feedback to referring physician and patient, effective case based learning and transfer of knowledge, and improved accessibility. CONCLUSION: Videoconference is preferred to visiting clinics and email as a method for rheumatology services to rural/northern communities. It is cost effective and there is knowledge transfer between the rheumatologist and the referring physicians.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Evaluation of image qualities on the international standard video-conferencing.

International standard-based video-conferencing systems are widely used in telemedicine activities worldwide. Through our experiences with these systems, it is apparent that the image quality is high enough to conduct educational and conferential sessions. However, because the terminals are intended for common use, we evaluated their qualities. After having an international standard system evaluated by a general practitioner using medical images, we prepared non-medical graphic images to examine the characteristics of the video-conferencing equipment. ROC (Receiver Operation Characteristic) analysis was employed for the evaluation. We concluded that the international standard video-conferencing systems are of sufficient quality for medical presentations, and that their interactivity and the use of proper software will aid the understanding of images in specific medical areas.

Internationality↗