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Interactive Video Specialty Consultations in Long‐Term Care
Author(s) -
Wakefield Bonnie J.,
Buresh Kelli A.,
Flanagan James R.,
Kienzle Michael G.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52220.x
Subject(s) - medicine , specialty , veterans affairs , telemedicine , videoconferencing , patient satisfaction , long term care , family medicine , interactive video , intervention (counseling) , cross sectional study , nursing , medical emergency , health care , multimedia , pathology , computer science , economics , economic growth
Objectives: To assess provider and resident satisfaction with and outcomes of specialist physician consultations provided via interactive video to residents of a long‐term care (LTC) center. Design: Cross‐sectional survey. Setting: Two Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) and a state LTC center. Participants: Physicians (n=12) at the VAMC and nurses (n=30) and residents (n=62) at the LTC center. Intervention: Interactive video conferencing to provide physician specialty visits to residents at the LTC center. Measurements: Satisfaction ratings and record review to determine changes in treatment plan and follow‐up care. Results: Data were collected on 76 individual consultations in six clinics. The most frequent outcome was a change in treatment plan with the resident remaining at the LTC setting (n=29, 38%) or no change in treatment (n=26, 34%). Physicians' ratings were 78% good to excellent for usefulness in developing a diagnosis, 87% good to excellent for usefulness in developing a treatment plan, 79% good to excellent for quality of transmission, and 86% good to excellent satisfaction with the consult format. Overall, 72% of residents were satisfied with the consult format, and 92% felt that it was easier to obtain medical care via telemedicine. Nurses felt that the telemedicine clinics were a good use of their time and skills (100%). Conclusion: There was a high rate of physician, patient, and nurse satisfaction with interactive video conferencing. Care delivered to residents of LTC settings via video conferencing offers a number of potential advantages, including avoidance of travel for patient and provider and potentially greater continuity of care.