Evidence Check - Clinical models of care
Triage, virtual care, temporary hospitals, ethics.
Archive Telemedicine in intensive care units
Added: 20 Mar 2020
What telemedicine models or interventions are associated with improved outcomes for people in the intensive care unit?
- In the setting of intensive care units (ICU), telemedicine generally uses audio visual technologies to assist in patient care by connecting an intensive care specialist who is not on site
- There are two models of telemedicine in ICUs that are most commonly described. hub-and-spoke model and virtual consultations.
- Hub-and-spoke models describe a model which uses a single remote centre (hub) in a fixed location to provide tele-critical care services to multiple local locations (spokes) simultaneously. Differences in definitions of the model make it challenging to draw conclusions on outcomes, but some studies show a reduction in hospital mortality
- Virtual consultations involves a remote intensivist virtually reviewing one patient at a time using audio-video connectivity. It has shown some improvement in reducing ICU and total hospital mortality, but no significant difference in length of stay in pre/post studies
Rapid evidence checks are based on a simplified review method and may not be entirely exhaustive, but aim to provide a balanced assessment of what is already known about a specific problem or issue. This brief has not been peer-reviewed and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement, nor is it an endorsed position of NSW Health.