Introduction and Operation of a Mobile Telemedicine System to Support Paramedics in the Emergency Medical Service
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- RWTH Aachen University
- Enrollment
- 425
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Rate of complications
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The aim of the study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of the operation of a prehospital teleconsultation system in the Emergency Medical Service.
Detailed Description
Six ambulances from five different Emergency Medical Service (EMS) districts are equipped with a portable telemedicine system. The paramedics can use this system to contact a so called "tele-EMS physician" after consent of the patient is obtained. The tele-EMS physician has an audio-connection to the EMS team and receives vital parameters (e.g., ECG, pulse oximetry, non-invasive blood pressure) in real-time. Also 12-lead-ECGs can be transmitted to the tele-EMS physician. The transmission of still pictures - taken with a smartphone - and video streaming from the inside of the ambulance can be carried out, if meaningful. The tele-EMS physician supports the EMS team in obtaining all relevant medical history, ECG diagnosis, general diagnosis and can delegate the application of medications. This can be carried out to bridge the time to the arrival of an EMS physician or in less severe cases without an EMS physician on-scene. The safety and efficacy of the introduction and operation of this system should be evaluated.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Health Services Research
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •prehospital emergency
- •consent of the patient for teleconsultation was obtained or patient is unable to consent due to the severity of the emergency
Exclusion Criteria
- •patient refuses consent for teleconsultation
- •psychiatric emergency
Arms & Interventions
Device: Teleconsultation
If patients give informed consent the paramedics can use this system to contact a so called "tele-EMS physician" with an audio-connection to the EMS team who receives vital parameters (e.g., ECG, pulse oximetry, non-invasive blood pressure) in real-time. Also 12-lead-ECGs can be transmitted to the tele-EMS physician. The transmission of still pictures - taken with a smartphone - and video streaming from the inside of the ambulance can be carried out, if meaningful. The tele-EMS physician supports the EMS team in obtaining all relevant medical history, ECG diagnosis, general diagnosis and can delegate the application of medications. This can be carried out to bridge the time to the arrival of an EMS physician or in less severe cases without an EMS physician on-scene. The safety and efficacy of the introduction and operation of this system should be evaluated.
Intervention: Teleconsultation (Procedure)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Rate of complications
Time Frame: up to 2 hours
The incidence of complications due to delegated medications should be evaluated.
Secondary Outcomes
- Technical assessments(up to 2 hours)
- Time intervals(up to 2 hours)
- Duration of teleconsultation(up to 2 hours)
- Requirement of on-scene EMS physician(up to 2 hours)