1 April 2004
Improving healthcare through telemedicine
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
With the NHS is overextended and concerns that quality of care may be compromised by overworked healthcare professionals, can telemedicine help ease the burden and maintain a high standard of care? In the April issue of the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, Dr Claude Sicotte and colleagues at the University of Montreal report on a cost-effective analysis of interactive paediatric telecardiology in the Canadian national health system.
Setting the scene
The retrospective study, carried out by Dr Sicotte over a four-year period from January 1998, was performed with 78 infants who had received a paediatric cardiology teleconsultation. Studies that evaluate outcomes and cost of telemedicine, a recent innovation, are rare - especially for an established four-year project. This study compared the telecardiology service with the conventional means of providing the same service and the cost analysis took into consideration expenses for patients as well as the healthcare system.
Accelerated diagnosis and improved treatment
The study’s most impressive result, Dr Sicotte reports, is the effect on tertiary care visits. ‘Both emergency transfers and semi-urgent or elective visits were reduced by 42% and the delay in consulting a cardiologist was decreased significantly.’ This is especially important for patients living in remote areas with low mobility. Worried parents and physicians were reassured by earlier contact with a cardiologist which lead to ‘enhanced early diagnosis and treatment.’
More expensive, better care
The cost analysis aspect of the study ‘demonstrated that teleconsultation did not result in overall cost savings,’ Dr Sicotte says. The patients received direct cost savings but the healthcare system did not benefit in this way. The conclusion is that teleconsultation is more expensive but increases effectiveness. However, Dr Sicotte does stress that ‘human and organisational issues remain difficult to resolve. Projects like these need to be carried out over a long period of time in order to realise their full potential.’ This study may be an move toward exploring how telemedicine can assist in preserving a high level of healthcare in the UK while helping ease the problems faced by patients, physicians and consultants.
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