Pediatric emergency room patients who had a telemedicine consult with a specialist were less likely to be transferred to another hospital, a study published Feb. 13 in JAMA Network Open found.
This research, from Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health, is the result of a two-year trial examining 15 emergency departments at rural and community hospitals in Northern California that were randomized to conduct consultations with pediatric critical care specialists either using video-based telemedicine or by telephone.
The telemedicine consultations included visual assessments and a physician exam and involved the referring physician and other providers, along with the patient and their parents or guardians, according to a news release from UC Davis.
Researchers evaluated whether a patient was transferred to UC Davis Children's Hospital, which is the only pediatric referral center for patients with highest acuity conditions in the area, following either type of consultation.
Of the 696 patients involved in the study, 84 percent of those with telemedicine consultations and 90.6 percent of those with telephone consultations were referred to the children's hospital.
The study found that telemedicine consultations allows physicians to provide real-time expertise to patients at hospitals that lack pediatric specialty care physicians. This could potentially lower unnecessary transfers and allow patients to be treated in their home communities.