Soopramanien A et al. 2005 "Using telemedicine to provide post-discharge support for patients with spinal cord injuries."

Reference

Soopramanien A, Pain H, Stainthorpe A, et al. Using telemedicine to provide post-discharge support for patients with spinal cord injuries. J Telemed Telecare 2005; 11 Suppl 1:68-70.

Abstract

"We are conducting a randomized controlled trial of telemedicine with patients with spinal cord injuries in their own homes. Internet videoconferencing is used at a bandwidth of 128 kbit/s. Data collection began in March 2004. Twelve patients had entered the study by August 2004, but none had completed it. Preliminary results in one case suggest that telemedicine provided various benefits: (1) the patient received advice he would probably not have solicited; (2) it enabled an expert to view the entry site of a pin in the patient's halo brace, to determine whether the general practitioner should be contacted to arrange a swab; (3) it made it easier for the interviewer to understand family interactions during the session. Telemedicine offers an additional tool in the care of geographically widespread outpatients."

Objective

"To evaluate the effects and costs of telerehabilitation for patients in the first six months after discharge to provide participants with regular telemedicine sessions conducted by specialists in spinal injury, to compare the functional and quality of life assessments between the trial and control groups, and to compare the cost of providing health care to the two groups."

Tools Used

Survey

Type Clinic

Specialty care

Type Specific

Spinal treatment

Size

Large

Geography

Urban and suburban

Type of Health IT

Telemedicine

Workflow-Related Findings

"Preliminary results in one case suggest that ... the patient received advice he would probably not have solicited."

Study Design

Story

Study Participants

Twelve patients participated; none of which completed the six months period of study. The full study has randomized control trial (RCT) design. The article uses the case of one patient as an example.