As technology gets more sophisticated and fuel and labor costs rise, telecommuting has become increasingly popular in the business world. Now, these advances are also having an effect on the world of medical response to disaster recovery, as health workers are able to assess victims remotely. An article in Health Tech magazine looks at case studies where Telehealth has been put to work, such as AccessPhysicians during Hurricane Harvey. “We were able to get into hospitals that the flesh-and-blood physicians weren’t able to get to,” says Chris Gallagher, co-founder and CEO of Access Physicians told Health Tech. “When the attending physician can’t make it to the hospital, you become the de facto physician because you are the only one who can get to the bedside. That was definitely a change in scope for us.”
Using patient-height telemedicine carts with cameras, digital stethoscopes and various laptops and tablets, doctors were able to use wifi networks to diagnose patients and develop treatment plans.
The article also covers the use of a satellite link to connect physicians in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria to their colleagues at New York Presbyterian Hospital and share specialized knowledge remotely. Similar efforts occurred via Nemours Children’s Health System after Hurricane Irma, where the health care system fielded 262 telemedicine visits, according to Health Tech.
Source:
https://healthtechmagazine.net/article/2019/08/role-telehealth-disaster-recovery
