A Retrospective Evaluation of Telemedicine in Remote Naval Populations Seeking Specialty Care
Abstract
Telemedicine technologies, such as lnternet and live videoteleconferencing (vTC), have great potential to provide specialized health care for naval personnel in remote situations at sea or onshore. A retrospective evaluation was conducted on telemedicine use%in TRICARE Region Nine which has a hub military treatment facility (MTF) at Naval Medical Center, San Diego providing specialty consultations for seven remote MTFs in southern California. A total of I 364 telemedicine consultations by VTC (76%) and store-and forward (24%) modalities were analyzed. Substantial variation in telemedicine use was seen among the MTFs (Port Hueneme = 352 consults; Vandenburg = 45 consults). The rate of telemedicine use for specialty care in TRICARE Region Nine increased regularly and substantially with the age of the telemedicine systems (time since operational); this finding generalized across MTFs and several medical specialties. Preliminary data indicated that diagnoses changed in 49% of consultations. The relatively high rate of telemedicine use for specialty care seen in this network makes TRICARE Region Nine an excellent system for study. Quantitative models including factors that predict use and clinical impact of telemedicine for specialty care in remote MTFs would provide valuable guidance for application of such technologies on small ships at sea.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA390728
Entities
People
- Bobbi Crann
- Darrell Hunsaker
- L. Caola
- Ted Mlecer
- William Deniston
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center