Journal of telemedicine and telecare
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Smartphone applications (or apps) are becoming increasingly popular. The lack of regulation or guidance for health-related apps means that the validity and reliability of their content is unknown. We have conducted a review of available apps relating to the generic condition of pain. ⋯ Despite an increasing number of apps being released, the frequency of HCP involvement is not increasing. Pain apps appear to be able to promise pain relief without any concern for the effectiveness of the product, or for possible adverse effects of product use. In a population often desperate for a solution to distressing and debilitating pain conditions, there is considerable risk of individuals being misled.
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We evaluated the technical and organisational feasibility of a multifunctional telemedicine system in an emergency medical service (EMS) from the user's perspective. The telemedicine system was designed to transmit vital signs data and 12-lead-ECG data, send still pictures and allow voice communication and video transmission from an ambulance. The data were sent to a teleconsultation centre staffed with EMS physicians (tele-EMS physician). ⋯ The tele-EMS physician was able to assist the EMS team in several cases and provided the preliminary information for the hospital in nearly all missions. Use of the telemedical system in EMS is feasible and the quality of the transmitted images and video was satisfactory. However, technical reliability and availability need to be improved prior to routine use.
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Patients failing to attend hospital appointments contribute to inefficient use of resources. We conducted a systematic review of studies providing a reminder to patients by phone, short message service (SMS) or automated phone calls. A PubMed search was conducted to identify articles published after 1999, describing studies of non-attendance at hospital appointments. ⋯ Cost and savings were not measured formally in any of the papers, but almost half of them included cost estimates. The average cost of using either SMS, automated phone calls or phone calls was €0.41 per reminder. Although formal evidence of cost-effectiveness is lacking, the implication of the review is that all hospitals should consider using automated reminders to reduce non-attendance at appointments.
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It is often difficult for emergency department staff to follow up the primary closure of simple facial lacerations. This is important to allow closure of the feedback loop. Consecutive patients who were sutured by a single operator using the same technique were asked to send a photograph of the laceration six months and 12 months afterwards. ⋯ Twenty-four patients said they would use a computer/camera to send in the follow-up image, and 26 patients had a mobile phone with a camera and said they would use that. Despite the reminders, no patients sent a photograph. The results provide no evidence to support the use of photographs sent by email or text message for the follow-up of facial lacerations sutured in the emergency department.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Video calls for dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation can improve the confidence of lay rescuers--surveys after simulated cardiac arrest.
Many mobile phones allow two-way video communication, which permits callers to hear and see each other. If used during medical emergencies, bystanders can receive supervision and guidance from medical staff based on visual information. We investigated whether video calls from mobile phones could improve the confidence of lay rescuers. ⋯ Rescuers who had not used video phones had a greater tendency to comment on immature video call technology, while some who had used video phones complained about poor sound quality during video calls. The majority of rescuers in both groups believed that video calls were superior to audio calls during medical emergencies, and this proportion was significantly higher in the video group (P = 0.0002). We found that visual contact and supervision through video calls improved rescuers' confidence in stressful emergencies.