PMID- 36935190
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20230321
LR  - 20230327
IS  - 1445-6354 (Electronic)
IS  - 1445-6354 (Linking)
VI  - 23
IP  - 1
DP  - 2023 Mar
TI  - Teleneurology via tablet technology: an effective low-cost method to increase 
      healthcare accessibility.
PG  - 7591
LID - 10.22605/RRH7591 [doi]
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Telemedicine is a valuable tool to increase access to health care, 
      especially for patients in rural areas who need to visit a specialist. In place 
      of telemedicine robots, which are costly and complicated, hospitals have 
      implemented successful telemedicine programs using lower-cost tablet technology; 
      opting for tablet technology increases the organizational feasibility of a 
      large-scale telemedicine program. METHODS: Vanderbilt University Medical Center 
      (VUMC), in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, launched its teleneurology network program 
      in 2014 to serve patients in surrounding community hospitals who needed a 
      neurology consult. Consults are conducted using an iPad, including examinations 
      and the secure sharing of images and patient information. This article reports on 
      teleneurology consult data and the results of patient and physician satisfaction 
      surveys. RESULTS: Between February 2014 and November 2021, the VUMC teleneurology 
      network program provided consultations for 14 241 patients with a wide variety of 
      neurological diagnoses presenting to 12 community-based hospitals. Patient and 
      community physician satisfaction surveys showed that 96% of physicians were 
      satisfied with the overall care provided, and 89% of patients reported that the 
      telehealth visits met their medical needs. CONCLUSION: One of the goals of 
      telemedicine programs is to increase access to care. Therefore, it is important 
      that the technology used to implement the program also be accessible in terms of 
      cost and complexity. Tablets are low-cost technology, and their use in 
      telemedicine has been shown to satisfy both physicians and patients with a wide 
      variety of diagnoses.
FAU - Harper, Kelly
AU  - Harper K
AD  - Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Neurology, A-0118 Medical 
      Center North, Nashville, TN, USA kelly.a.harper@vumc.org.
FAU - Hanson, Claire
AU  - Hanson C
AD  - Vanderbilt University Program in Neuroscience, 2201 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, 
      USA claire.i.hanson@vanderbilt.edu.
FAU - Eoff, Bryan
AU  - Eoff B
AD  - Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Neurology, A-0118 Medical 
      Center North, Nashville, TN, USA bryan.eoff@yahoo.com.
FAU - Riebau, Derek
AU  - Riebau D
AD  - Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Neurology, A-0118 Medical 
      Center North, Nashville, TN, USA derek.a.riebau@vumc.org.
FAU - Charles, David
AU  - Charles D
AD  - Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Neurology, A-0118 Medical 
      Center North, Nashville, TN, USA david.charles@vumc.org.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20230320
PL  - Australia
TA  - Rural Remote Health
JT  - Rural and remote health
JID - 101174860
SB  - IM
MH  - Humans
MH  - *Telemedicine/methods
MH  - *Neurology
MH  - *Physicians
MH  - Referral and Consultation
MH  - Surveys and Questionnaires
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - USA
OT  - patient satisfaction
OT  - physician satisfaction
OT  - telehealth technology
OT  - telemedicine technology
OT  - cost barriers
EDAT- 2023/03/20 06:00
MHDA- 2023/03/22 06:00
CRDT- 2023/03/19 22:12
PHST- 2023/03/19 22:12 [entrez]
PHST- 2023/03/20 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/03/22 06:00 [medline]
AID - 7591 [pii]
AID - 10.22605/RRH7591 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Rural Remote Health. 2023 Mar;23(1):7591. doi: 10.22605/RRH7591. Epub 2023 Mar 
      20.