Preliminary evaluation of a system for neonatal teleconsultation

Armfield, Nigel R; Bensink, Mark; Donovan, Tim; Wootton, Richard

doi:10.1258/135763307783247392

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Telemedicine was conducted using the NEMO (Neonatal Examination and Management Online) system. 2,3 Systems were installed at the tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) and nurseries at four peripheral hospitals in Queensland (Caboolture, Redcliffe, Nambour and Hervey Bay Hospitals).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The costs and potential savings of telemedicine for acute care neonatal consultation: preliminary findings

et al. 2012

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Telemedicine was used as a substitute for the telephone (usual care) for some acute care consultations from nurseries at four peripheral hospitals in Queensland. Over a 12-month study period, there were 19 cases of neonatal teleconsultation. Five (26%) cases of avoided infant transport were confirmed by independent assessment, four of which were avoided helicopter retrievals. We conducted two analyses. In the first, the actual costs of providing telemedicine at the study sites were compared with the actual savings associated with confirmed avoided infant transport and nursery costs. There was a net saving to the health system of 54,400 Australian Dollars (AUD) associated with the use of telemedicine over the 12-month period. In the second analysis, we estimated the potential savings that might have been achieved if telemedicine had been used for all retrieval consultations from the study sites. The total projected costs were AUD 64,969 while the projected savings were AUD 271,042, i.e. a projected net saving to the health system of AUD 206,073 through the use of telemedicine. A sensitivity analysis suggested that the threshold proportion of retrievals needed to generate telemedicine-related savings under the study conditions was 5%. The findings suggest that from the health-service perspective, the use of telemedicine for acute care neonatal consultation has substantial economic benefits.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The costs and potential savings of telemedicine for acute care neonatal consultation: preliminary findings

et al. 2012

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“…The consultations range from management of common neonatal problems in a center without neonatal specialists to management of critically ill neonates with complex needs in collaboration with local neonatal expertize. These services are valuable in obtaining expert consultations, avoiding transfers for patients who can be 1 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA 2 Children's Medical Center of The Children's Health System of Texas, USA 3 Parkland Health and Hospital System, USA managed safely at the local facilities, and aiding in management of critically ill infants prior to transportation. Armfield et al reported one of the earliest examples of the successful use of telemedicine for acute neonatology consultations between a tertiary NICU and newborn nurseries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Armfield et al reported one of the earliest examples of the successful use of telemedicine for acute neonatology consultations between a tertiary NICU and newborn nurseries. 2,3 Also, teleneonatology programs have shown promising results in newborn resuscitation assistance, 4,5 education dissemination and infant mortality reduction through improved perinatal regionalization. [6][7][8] In 2013, Children's Health System of Texas and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center collaborated to establish TeleNICU at the Children's Medical Center (CMC) Dallas, the first neonatal telemedicine program in the State of Texas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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TeleNICU: Extending the reach of level IV care and optimizing the triage of patient transfers

et al. 2021

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Background The use of telemedicine to provide care for critically ill newborn infants has significantly evolved over the last two decades. Children's Health System of Texas and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center established TeleNICU, the first teleneonatology program in Texas. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of Tele Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (TeleNICU) in extending quaternary neonatal care to more rural areas of Texas. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective review of TeleNICU consultations from September 2013 to October 2018. Charts were reviewed for demographic data, reasons for consultation, and consultation outcomes. Diagnoses were classified as medical, surgical, or combined. Consultation outcomes were categorized into transferred or retained. Transport cost savings were estimated based on the distance from the hub site and the costs for ground transportation. Results TeleNICU had one hub (Level IV) and nine spokes (Levels I–III) during the study period. A total of 132 direct consultations were completed during the study period. Most consultations were conducted with Level III units (81%) followed by level I (13%) and level II (6%) units. Some common diagnoses included prematurity (57%), respiratory distress (36%), congenital anomalies (25%), and neonatal surgical emergencies (13%). For all encounters, 54% of the patients were retained at the spoke sites, resulting in an estimated cost savings of USD0.9 million in transport costs alone. The likelihood of retention at spoke sites was significantly higher for medical diagnoses compared to surgical diagnoses (89% vs. 11%). Conclusion Telemedicine effectively expands access to quaternary neonatal care for more rural communities, helps in the triage of neonatal transfers, promotes family centered care, and significantly reduces health care costs.

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“…Despite the lack of publications demonstrating its clinical benefits or cost-effectiveness in neonatology, telemedicine is being used in the neonatal population and there does appear to be a positive perception for remote consultations. 9 The aim of our present study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a patient-rounding model (''tele-rounding'') utilizing remote-controlled, real-time telemedicine technology compared to the conventional on-site care model. We sought to describe a method to utilize and integrate telemedicine in the daily clinical practice of a neonatologist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Tele-rounding” with a remotely controlled mobile robot in the neonatal intensive care unit

et al. 2015

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Preliminary evaluation of a system for neonatal teleconsultation

Cited by 11 publications

References 11 publications

The costs and potential savings of telemedicine for acute care neonatal consultation: preliminary findings

The costs and potential savings of telemedicine for acute care neonatal consultation: preliminary findings

TeleNICU: Extending the reach of level IV care and optimizing the triage of patient transfers

“Tele-rounding” with a remotely controlled mobile robot in the neonatal intensive care unit

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