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Telehealth and Acute Care Toolkit

Telestroke Services and Beyond

This toolkit is intended to give a broad overview of Acute Care and Telehealth for both patients and providers. Feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any questions about this toolkit or with any additional questions. 

Acute Care Basics

What is Acute Care?

Acute care refers to the short-term, immediate treatment of patients with severe or urgent medical conditions. It is typically provided in a hospital setting, such as an emergency department, intensive care unit (ICU), or other specialized units, and focuses on addressing serious health issues that require prompt medical attention. Acute care involves the diagnosis, treatment, and stabilization of illnesses, injuries, or conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, respiratory distress, fractures, and infections.

The goal of acute care is to quickly alleviate symptoms, stabilize patients, and either discharge them or transition them to another type of care, such as chronic care, rehabilitation, or specialty care, depending on their needs.

Telehealth and Acute Care

Telehealth is increasingly being integrated into acute care settings to enhance patient outcomes, streamline care delivery, and expand access to specialized care. In acute care and critical care environments, telehealth applications include:

Remote Consultations and Specialist Access

Telehealth allows for real-time consultations with specialists, such as cardiologists, neurologists, and intensivists, who may not be physically present at the facility. This is particularly valuable in rural or underserved areas.

Tele-ICU (Intensive Care Unit)

Tele-ICU services involve remote monitoring and management of critically ill patients. Critical care specialists can oversee multiple ICUs, providing expert guidance on patient management, medication adjustments, and interventions.

Emergency Room Telehealth

In emergency departments, telehealth can facilitate rapid assessment and triage, enabling timely decisions about patient care, transfer to specialty centers, or discharge.

Preoperative and Postoperative Care

Telehealth can be used for preoperative consultations and postoperative follow-up, reducing the need for in-person visits and monitoring patients for complications.

Key Example: Telestroke Services

Telehealth can be crucial for improving acute stroke care, particularly in rural or underserved regions where immediate access to specialized neurologists is limited. Through telestroke services, emergency department staff can connect with neurologists via video conferencing to conduct a rapid assessment of the patient, evaluate imaging, and make critical decisions regarding treatment, such as administering suitable medication as soon as possible. This timely remote consultation helps reduce delays in treatment, which is vital in stroke care, as every minute saved can improve patient outcomes. Telehealth also supports stroke patients beyond the acute phase by enabling follow-up care and rehabilitation through virtual visits, ensuring continuity of care without the need for travel. By leveraging telehealth, healthcare providers can significantly enhance access to quality stroke care, ultimately improving recovery rates and reducing long-term disability.

Rapid Diagnosis and Recommendations

Telestroke allows for quick evaluation of stroke symptoms, utilizing video consultations and review of imaging studies (CT/MRI scans) to diagnose the type of stroke. Based on the diagnosis, specialists can recommend appropriate treatments, such as administering intravenous thrombolytics (tPA) for ischemic strokes or other interventions.

Coordination of Care

Telestroke services help coordinate care with local healthcare providers, ensuring timely treatment and decisions about transferring patients to comprehensive stroke centers if necessary. By reducing time to treatment, telestroke services can significantly improve patient outcomes, including reducing the extent of brain damage and enhancing recovery prospects.

Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/stroke-and-telemedicine/about/pac-20395081

 

Opportunities and Challenges of Telehealth for Acute Care

Meeting the Challenges

Telehealth in acute care faces several challenges that impact its effectiveness and accessibility. One major challenge is the need for reliable and high-speed internet connectivity, which is crucial for real-time video consultations. In areas with limited infrastructure or in low-income communities, connectivity issues can lead to delays, poor communication quality, and reduced access to emergency telehealth services. Additionally, there can be limitations in performing thorough physical assessments via telehealth, as some acute conditions require direct hands-on evaluation or specialized diagnostic tools. Regulatory and licensing issues also pose challenges, as providers may face restrictions on delivering telehealth services across state or country lines. Furthermore, data privacy and security concerns arise when dealing with sensitive medical information in a remote setting, making it essential for telehealth systems to comply with stringent data protection regulations. Training healthcare staff to use telehealth technologies efficiently, and ensuring patients are comfortable with the tools, are other significant barriers. Addressing these challenges is crucial for maximizing the potential of telehealth in acute care, particularly in time-sensitive situations.

Seizing Opportunities

Though there are challenges that must be considered, telehealth for acute care services presents numerous opportunities to expand access to specialized services and reducing critical treatment delays. One key opportunity is the use of telehealth to connect patients in rural or underserved areas with specialists who may not be locally available, such as neurologists for stroke care or intensivists for critical conditions. By enabling rapid, remote assessments through video consultations, telehealth can facilitate faster decision-making and initiation of treatments, which is particularly valuable in time-sensitive emergencies. Telehealth also allows hospitals to optimize resource allocation, as smaller facilities can receive specialist guidance without transferring patients to larger centers, ultimately reducing the strain on healthcare systems. Additionally, telehealth can be used to triage patients remotely, identifying those who need immediate intervention versus those who can be treated outside of emergency settings, thus improving efficiency and reducing unnecessary emergency room visits. With advancements in mobile health technologies and remote monitoring tools, telehealth is poised to enhance the quality of acute care, improve patient outcomes, and extend the reach of life-saving services to more people

Telehealth and Acute Care Podcasts

Check our latest podcast episode about telehealth in an acute care setting.

TeleICU with Dr. Jeffrey Sadowsky

Danielle talks with Dr. Jeffrey Sadowsky, the CEO of Robotic Critical Care Services about TeleICU and the use of telehealth in hospitals. Tune in for a discussion about lessons learned during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the importance of telehealth as an access tool, and the ways we can keep patient care at the forefront of telehealth use.

 More Questions? Contact us at [email protected]

 

This toolkit is intended to be informational, not to guide care or coverage decisions. For specific questions, we recommend you contact your physician or insurance provider.

Last Updated Sept, 2024