• Burns · May 2011

    Use of telemedicine and telephone consultation in decision-making and follow-up of burn patients: Initial experience from two burn units.

    • Emin Turk, Erdal Karagulle, Cem Aydogan, Hakan Oguz, Akin Tarim, Hamdi Karakayali, and Mehmet Haberal.
    • Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery and Burn and Fire Disasters Institute, Ankara, Turkey. erenka2000@hotmail.com
    • Burns. 2011 May 1; 37 (3): 415-9.

    ObjectiveThis study investigated the use of telemedicine in decision-making and follow-up of burn patients.MethodsThe Konya Burn Unit was established in July 2003, and up to December 2009, 187 patients were admitted to this unit, all of them were consulted-via audiovisual transmission of data (telemedicine)-to the same burn surgeon at the Ankara Burn Referral Center of our hospital network. Three basic systems are currently used: live interactive video, store-and-forward images, and telephone. The demographic data and burn criteria of the patients were investigated. Changes in the number of televisits and patient management were analyzed.ResultsDuring the 66-month timeframe, 525 televisits were performed on 187 patients. There were 126 males (67.4%) and 61 females (32.6%). The mean total burn surface area (percentage of total burn surface area burned) was 23.3 ± 17.8% (range, 3-95%). Nine of the 187 patients (4.8%) died owing to multiorgan failure and sepsis. As a result of these televisits, 21 patients (11.2%) were transferred to our referral center. The number of dead and transferred patients decreased during the study.ConclusionsTelemedicine is appropriate and cost-effective for treatment and follow-up of patients in burn units with personnel with limited experience.Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

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