Although tele ICU, also known as electronic ICU and remote ICU, has been around for almost 20 years, it’s just now becoming more prevalent in hospitals around the world, and it’s changing ICU outcomes for the better. One way in which tele ICU is impacting patient outcomes is through the increased access to specialists, something nearly all ICUs have struggled with in the past, but has been noticeably worse for small and rural hospitals. Here’s how this technology is evening the playing field for ICUs everywhere.
Specialists Provide Specialty Care
It seems obvious, but the reason there are specialists in the medical field is so that patients can get the specialty care they need for their specific injury or illness. Of course, a general physician or intensivist can treat these injuries or illnesses, but they may not be as up-to-date on techniques and procedures as specialists are. After all, a generalist or intensivist can’t possibly know everything there is to know about all the reasons people are admitted to the ICU.
Some smaller or rural hospitals may not even have an intensivist on staff and must rely on generalists to treat their ICU patients. Certainly, this treatment is better than nothing, but is that what you really want for your patients? Of course not. What you want is for all patients to have access to the same level of care, which means access to specialists.
Tele ICU technology gives patients this access to specialists at any time of the day or night. No matter where the hospital is located, they can get prescriptions, treatment orders, and other medical advice from highly-qualified, experienced specialists. This is particularly helpful for the many patients who are on ventilators in the ICU and would benefit from respiratory failure experts monitoring their vitals.
Specialists Relieve Staffing Shortage Issues
Many rural hospitals don’t have the ability to recruit specialists to their locations. They simply can’t compete with the hospitals in large cities that have major research labs and other benefits that specialists want in a position. Not only that, but they often can’t afford to pay specialists what they are worth. This discrepancy in resources has led to staffing shortages in rural hospitals worldwide.
This inequity can be mitigated through tele ICU technology, at least in the ICU department. Rural hospitals don’t have to pay for specialists to be fully employed in their facilities, but they still have access to their expertise when they need it. If an in-person ICU staff member determines a patient needs a specialist’s skills, they can request a specialist through their remote ICU portal.
The remote specialist has access to all the patient’s records, vital statistics, and other pertinent information and can examine the patient remotely through high-vis cameras placed in each ICU room. They can then make a professional assessment about what needs to happen to improve the patient’s condition without ever stepping into the physical hospital room.
Conclusion
It’s long been known that specialist care is critical to positive patient outcomes, but not all hospitals and ICU have been able to tap into this much-needed pool of expertise. Until now. With tele ICU technology, all hospitals can offer this life-saving service to their patients and improve their ICU patient outcomes in the process.