Telemedicine: Connecting expert medical help to those who really need it – but may not be able to access it.

We live in a world where a growing population cannot access the advances in medical and healthcare support that most people would consider to be the minimum standard to ensure a decent quality of life.

At the same time resources are reducing and we need to find cleverer ways to do more with less. Telemedicine is one of those areas where Vemotion can produce real dividends by connecting expert medical help to those who really need it – but may not be able to access it.

Vemotion has immediate applications in global telemedicine:

TeleStroke

Every minute in the ‘Golden Hour’ after the first onset of a stroke is vital in saving brain cells. And every cell saved minimises the impact of the effects on long term recovery and the maintenance of basic motor skills enabling speech and muscle control. Using Vemotion’s remote live video capability, first responders and other paramedical staff can show a doctor the symptoms and effects of a stroke victim from the place of the incident thereby drastically cutting the time taken for the administration of the correct treatment.

HomeCare/Clinical Support

Vemotion’s video capability runs on any Android platform, tablet or smartphone, to allow healthcare in the home via a remote device operated by a district nurse, healthcare worker, home carer or paramedical visitor. A junior nurse visiting a housebound patient can now show the ailment to a senior nurse to gain remote authorisation for a prescribed drug or other medicine after showing the infected / injured are to the senior nurse or doctor. This saves, time, travel, costs and improves customer satisfaction and staff efficiency.

Using Vemotion’s remote handheld probe camera, which has an integral LED light array, close up diagnosis can easily be accomplished for tissue wounds, ENT ailments or dermatological inspections.

The patient no longer has to go to the hospital to get expert medical care… the hospital can now come to the patient! Of course, it is not designed to replace the doctor’s or the consultant’s appointments – but it can help lighten the load on the Healthcare system. So, let’s make A&E queues a thing of the past by thinking cleverly about how else we can deliver healthcare by remote camera in the future.

Example Scenario 1

If left untreated, bedsores can require surgery and result in complicating health conditions including sepsis, bone and joint infections, and even cancer. Studies have found decubitus ulcers account for 34,320 deaths annually. In addition, pressure ulcer treatments total over £11 billion in hospital costs each year. Using Vemotion’s VB-10 encoder application on her NHS issued Android tablet, a District Nurse can immediately refer a live video picture of the pressure sore to a specialist Tissue Viability Nurse, thereby removing the need for an additional home visit.

Example Scenario 2

A junior district nurse is conducting a home visit and needs to prescribe drugs or seek supporting advice from a specialist such as a physiotherapist. By showing the patient’s condition to a senior nurse, confirmatory acknowledgement or authorisation can be made allowing a much more efficient processing of treatment and a higher level of patient satisfaction with the service delivered.

Ambulance Support

Vemotion’s video capabilities are ideally suited for Ambulance Support. Not only can we provide a full external camera capability but with a Pan Tilt and Zoom capability we can give coverage to A&E staff without moving the roadside patient. This is ideal for spinal or other severe injuries where expert advice is imperative as early as possible in the triage process.

Using Vemotion’s VB-30 product which can stream up to four cameras concurrently, supporting or expert medical staff can be shown two external views, an internal view and a remote handheld probe view at the same time. This offers a degree of visibility that was hitherto not possible, and Vemotion is currently the only provider of such a capability. We have partnerships with manufacturers of lightbars in the blue light and amber response sectors and can integrate our mobile vehicle capability so that the external cameras are manufactured within the blue or amber lightbar on the vehicle.

Example Scenario

An ambulance fitted with Vemotion’s VB-30 multichannel encoder arrives at the scene of a roadside accident. The on-board external camera allows an immediate view of the situation to both A&E staff and to consultants at the hospital. A remote handheld ‘probe’ camera offers close-up live video of breaks and wounds, allowing expert advice to paramedical staff at the scene. The internal video camera inside the patient bay can be remotely moved and focused to monitor the casualty whilst lifesaving procedures are being conducted and whilst the patient is being transported back to the hospital.

Global Medial Reach

Vemotion has proven its applicability to change the face of global telemedicine. In conjunction with Swinfen Charitable Trust (SCT), Vemotion has just completed a field trial to connect the Telemedicine House in Khalte, Thanamula, in the Parbat region in central Nepal with consultant medical assistance in the UK. Using a secure, recordable, video link over a 3G connection, a consultant neurosurgeon from Queen’s Hospital, Belfast was able to diagnose a 11-year-old girl to distinguish between epilepsy and minor fits. The successful trials will now be used to develop an integrated telemedicine capability across a number of third world countries within the SCT network.

To find out more about how Vemotion streaming solutions can help to tackle the varied challenges in establishing highly secure and cost-effective camera surveillance, contact us today.