Telemedicine – An Innovation For Stroke Patients

Telemdicine in the healthcare system

Stroke is usually characterized by the abnormal activity of the brain caused by the lack of blood supply in the brain. During this time, the person may experience inability to move normally. Stroke is a medical emergency that needs to be attended as soon as possible. It is also fatal, especially when the patient is old and has a medical history of heart attack.

In a published research conducted by the American Heart Association, telecommunications has played a great role in coordinating doctors to stroke patients especially in poor areas. Today, telecommunication has improved and is continuing its services to local areas in providing medical support to the less fortunate people.

The Telemedicine Benefits in Stroke

In Bavaria, Germany, the process is called telemedicine in which, patients who suffered a stroke has a 24 hour access to doctors for proper consultation and analysis of their laboratories. In extreme cases, videoconferencing is also available in regional places. Linked Stroke Units are formed to be able to give a complete prognosis for a certain patient in a hospital.

The TeleStroke has now gained the trust of emergency personnel through the years. This only implies how the service is working on emergency cases, most of which are attended as soon as they are diagnosed of either a stroke or a mild one. For 10 years, researchers have tried to observe how the telemedicine is positively affecting patients and the following is what they found out. A drug tissue said to bust blood clots has serviced stroke patients from a minimal 2.6% to 15.5 % in the process. The significance of telemedicine has increased the patient's chance of survival.

The quickness of service has increased 50%, thus showing a relatively more quantity of patients being treated than the ones targeted by the American Heart Association. Patients get faster turnaround on the results and treatment of stroke than any other hospital.

At the time of the stroke, a patient saved at least 15 minutes receiving treatment and first aid medical attention. During a stroke, time is gold. Seconds, minutes or hours play a different role in improving your chance of survival. The issue of transferring a patient regardless of its condition has been minimized. Telemedicine allows a patient to stay in a hospital without actually being transported to another hospital that has better facilities.

Peter Muller “ Barna lauded the unending support of its affiliate clinics and centers for their unending support and quick response to such cases. Telemedicine has indeed improved the quality and quickness of service, especially those who are assigned to regional locations, but still allow their services to reach even more people.

TeleStroke Units are said to have been initially introduced to regional hospitals in 2003. They were installed in 12 regional hospitals that don't have enough equipment and capability to treat neuro cases. Telemedicine allowed them to have access to stroke centers around Bavaria. At least 15 TeleStroke Units were again recorded in the year 2012.

In its constant willingness to service the less fortunate people, it has already set a record of not less than 31, 864 consultations. Because of the endless access and quick turnaround of results, stroke patients, including those that have experienced mild ones started to go to these hospitals increasing their numbers from a minimal 19% to a huge jump of 78%. This statistic alone proved the effectiveness of the system.

A Promising Medical Tool

Stroke has been dubbed as one of the most traitorous illnesses as it arrives unexpectedly. There are no certain symptoms that will tell ahead of its impending arrival. In fact, even the healthiest person can suffer from stroke. The best way to minimize your risk is to live a healthy lifestyle and stay away from things that triggers a stroke. Although older people are likely to experience a stroke, teenagers on the other hand are no exception.

The success of the program only shows how effective it can get during emergency situations. Doctors and surgeons are known to be more cooperative using this medium of communication because of the inability of patients to reach them. As opposed to what Muller “ Barna said, while it has proven to be very effective and helpful, there's a lot more to be done in order to serve a broader scope.

One of the advantages seen in this type of medical attention is the limited need to transfer patients from one place to another in order to get treatment. Telemedicine consolidates all the right doctors and surgeons to attend to a specific case.

This innovation has ceased the burden of stressing the patient from transferring them to one hospital to another. It has been by far one of the most unprecedented programs made that is all about helping patients in the fastest way possible without compromising the kind of service given.

Telemedicine, although it can be considered as the latest technology in medical history also has the ability to determine an emergency case, in which a patient can receive initial observation through a video provided showing all the tests and procedures done for the patient. It is not only a money saving process, but greater than that, the time and stress that is being cut from the whole process.

Researchers urged the United States to push with the program in order for patients to take advantage of the program and give them less stress in finding the right doctor to attend to them. Telemedicine is also nominated to be the center of attention at the next American Heart Association convention.