Mobile Telemedicine System Connects EMTs in Rural Georgia to Medical Professionals
Washington County Regional Medical Center (WCRMC), in collaboration with DT Research and swyMed, has deployed a mobile EMS (Emergency Medical Services) telemedicine system that connects paramedics in rural Georgia to physicians within the region. The system is supported by the PAVES (Prehospital and Ambulatory Virtual Emergency Services) network.
According to a November press release, the WCRMC mobile telemedicine system allows ambulance staff to remotely collaborate with physicians to diagnose, triage, treat, and route patients to the closest local care facility that can treat the patient.
Healthcare Innovation recently spoke with Michael Padgett, director of EMS at WCRMC, Tetra Jenkins, R.N., Stroke and Trauma Program coordinator at WCRMC, as well as Jeff Urdan, CEO of swyMed, about how the new system is helping paramedics in the field to triage patients.
The idea started with Michael J. Carr, M.D., FACEP, FAEMS, executive director of PAVES, who came up with it during COVID-19. Carr wrote for a grant, and they were looking for partners to try to use the system to determine the functionality and what needed adjusting.
The concept of having a video-enabled ambulance is not new. "One day, one of our guys was literally sitting in traffic behind an ambulance, and he was like, that's where it should be," Urdan recalls. "We found a partner at Virginia Commonwealth University who was willing to go through the hurdles and hiccups of figuring this out with us so that we had a mostly baked solution by the time it got to Michael."
The system was implemented with WCRMC six-ten months ago. Urdan states that they are always looking for and making improvements to the system.
Emory University and Dr. Carr received a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The idea was that the Emory emergency physicians would be the hub serving rural Georgia, Urdan explains.
It was a slow roll-out, Urdan notes, due to all the elements and processes involved in having the systems installed in the ambulances. "One of our biggest problems here in rural Georgia is the connectivity with the ambulances." Modems needed to be updated to obtain better services for the ambulances.
Understanding all the capabilities of the new system, he says, and the doors it could open, are unimaginable. During hurricane Debby, several ambulances set up at a shelter doing telemedicine with doctors and Emory to care for patients, so they didn't inundate the emergency departments (ED), Padgett shares.
Another example where the system has proven practical is regarding stroke assessments. Padgett mentions the time it takes for paramedics to assess when a patient is having a stroke. The video system allows the doctors to assess while the patient is moved remotely. "It's kind of like having a big brother in a box, so to speak," Padgett says. "With addition to oversight, there's a sense of security for the medics and the patients."
A picture is worth 1000 words
Additionally, the ED staff can be better prepared for the patient's arrival when they have been monitoring the conditions over video. Jenkins adds that the nurses have also had positive feedback on the systems. "A picture is worth 1000 words." Decisions to divert a patient have been made, as nurses and doctors could look over the paramedics' shoulders through the video connection in the back of the ambulance. WCRMC is a small hospital, and communication between nurses and doctors can be quick if needed.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes up in the conversation as well. The team says the idea of an AI-guided ultrasound in the back of the ambulance seems achievable.
Additionally, Padgett believes that the video system may address some of the staffing issues healthcare faces. He says a specialist can be available to the paramedic with a push and click.
WCRMC hopes that the video system can be implemented with larger hospitals as well, making it easier to communicate when patients must be transferred. Padgett adds, "Our community is very proud to have this system here and what it means."
