TY - JOUR
T1 - Bridging the Gap
T2 - Subspecialty Telemedicine Consultations at a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
AU - Shikani, Beatrix T.
AU - Hughes, Helen
AU - Opati, Emmanuel
AU - Makker, Kartikeya
AU - Gontasz, Michelle
AU - Sick-Samuels, Anna
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2024, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Background: Many neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) lack access to subspecialist consultants and may transfer patients requiring subspecialty care to referral facilities or seek informal consultation. The objective of this work was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of extending pediatric subspecialty services from a children’s hospital to a level III NICU via teleconsultation and describe processes, facilitators, and challenges. Methods: Monitored consultations for 1 year and surveyed clinicians regarding feasibility, perceived benefits, and challenges. Results: Fifty-nine teleconsultations were conducted. NICU providers indicated improved care quality with subspecialty input. Subspecialists reported advantages of documenting, billing, and providing more complete care, but noted logistical strains. Both parties perceived better interdisciplinary communication. Conclusions: This teleconsultation service was feasible, generally acceptable, improved access to subspecialty services, and improved NICU clinicians’ perceived care quality. Challenges included infrastructure development costs, workflow training time, logistics, and subspecialist patient volumes. This is among the first descriptions of a pediatric subspecialty teleconsultation service supporting a NICU.
AB - Background: Many neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) lack access to subspecialist consultants and may transfer patients requiring subspecialty care to referral facilities or seek informal consultation. The objective of this work was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of extending pediatric subspecialty services from a children’s hospital to a level III NICU via teleconsultation and describe processes, facilitators, and challenges. Methods: Monitored consultations for 1 year and surveyed clinicians regarding feasibility, perceived benefits, and challenges. Results: Fifty-nine teleconsultations were conducted. NICU providers indicated improved care quality with subspecialty input. Subspecialists reported advantages of documenting, billing, and providing more complete care, but noted logistical strains. Both parties perceived better interdisciplinary communication. Conclusions: This teleconsultation service was feasible, generally acceptable, improved access to subspecialty services, and improved NICU clinicians’ perceived care quality. Challenges included infrastructure development costs, workflow training time, logistics, and subspecialist patient volumes. This is among the first descriptions of a pediatric subspecialty teleconsultation service supporting a NICU.
KW - health care equity.
KW - neonatology
KW - NICU
KW - subspecialty consultation
KW - telemedicine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85211982568&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85211982568&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/tmj.2024.0397
DO - 10.1089/tmj.2024.0397
M3 - Article
C2 - 39658022
AN - SCOPUS:85211982568
SN - 1530-5627
JO - Telemedicine and e-Health
JF - Telemedicine and e-Health
ER -