Effect of telemedicine on health outcomes in 87 infants requiring neonatal intensive care.
Effect of telemedicine on health outcomes in 87 infants requiring neonatal intensive care.
复制标题
远程医疗对 87 名需要新生儿重症监护的婴儿健康结果的影响。
DOI：
10.1089/tmj.1.1998.4.345
复制
发表时间：
1998
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Bose,CL
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Rendina,MC;Downs,SM;Carasco,N;Loonsk,J;Bose,CL
目的这是对远程医疗系统的评估，该系统用于快速判读区域 III 级新生儿重症监护病房 (NICU) 的新生儿超声心动图。使用远程医疗来支持 NICU 的心脏病学需求的情况正在增加。然而，关于此类远程医疗系统造成的健康结果或成本的公开客观信息很少。测试的主要假设是，利用远程医疗系统解释新生儿超声心动图会缩短低出生体重（LBW）婴儿的重症监护住院时间。研究设计使用超声心动图对在该系统的前六个月入住新汉诺威地区医疗中心新生儿重症监护的所有婴儿进行研究。他们与去年同期出生的婴儿进行了比较。结果指标是重症监护住院时间、转至学术医疗中心的比率和死亡率。结果观察到低出生体重婴儿的重症监护住院时间 (LOS) 减少了 5.4 天，无统计学意义（p = 0.37）。与之前通过隔夜快递发送录像带的方法相比，每份超声心动图传输的成本计算为 33 美元。结论虽然样本量不足以证明健康结果的改善，但变化的幅度和系统的低成本表明这种干预对于获得快速诊断和治疗支持是实用的。有必要进行更大规模的研究来证实这些发现，并确定更快的诊断和更早的治疗是否可以改善新生儿的健康结果。
ObjectiveThis is an evaluation of a telemedicine system for the rapid interpretation of neonatal echocardiograms from a regional, level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The use of telemedicine to support the cardiology needs of NICUs is increasing. However, there is very little published objective information regarding health outcomes or costs resulting from such telemedicine systems. The primary hypothesis tested was that the utilization of a telemedicine system for the interpretation of neonatal echocardiograms reduces the intensive care length of stay of low birthweight (LBW) infants.Study designAll infants who were admitted to neonatal intensive care at New Hanover Regional Medical Center during the first six months of the system were studied by the use of echocardiograms. They were compared with infants who were born in the same period of the previous year. The outcome measures were the intensive care length of stay, rate of transfer to academic medical centers, and mortality rate.ResultsA statistically non-significant reduction of 5.4 days in the intensive care length of stay (LOS) of low birthweight infants was observed (p = 0.37). The cost per echocardiogram transmitted was calculated at $33 compared to previous method of sending videotapes via overnight courier.ConclusionsWhile the sample size was inadequate to demonstrate improvements in health outcomes, the magnitude of the change and the low costs of the system suggest that this intervention is practical for obtaining rapid diagnostic and treatment support. Larger studies are warranted to confirm these findings and determine whether faster diagnosis and earlier initiation of treatment improve health outcomes of newborn infants.