Introduction of the Kaifu telemedicine system for emergency medicine to ambulance services with improvement of the survival rates

Introduction

Our hospital has introduced the telemedicine system for emergency medicine (k-support) using a smart device to rectify health disparity and reduce the burden to general physicians since February 2013. We have expanded to the ambulance services' k-support toward further survival rate improvement.

Methods

The registration device, patient information and image information such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography taken in the hospital were transferred in real time to k-support using the smart device. Since September 2013, we newly developed k-support to the Kainan Fire Department Mugi branch office, Kainan Fire Department Hiwasa branch office, Kaifu Fire-fighting Union Kainan fire department, and Muroto Fire-Fighting Headquarters Touyou branch office, and reviewed our experience of this approach in the use of k-support during the first 3 months of the introduction.

Results

k-support was used for 62 patients, and 13 (21.0%) of them were categorized as neurosurgical diseases. The detail of neurosurgical diseases consisted of six patients (46.1%) with head injury, followed by five patients (38.5%) with cerebral infarction, one patient (7.7%) with cerebral hemorrhage and one patient (7.7%) with miscellaneous diseases. We shared the information by ambulance services to tweet the patient information or transmit vital signs and electrocardiograms. We experienced a case that was diagnosed with cardiogenic embolism and tried the 'drip and ship' method of rt-PA. The outcomes were as follows: hospitalization, 28 (45.2%); discharge, 18 (29.0%); and transfer, 16 (25.8%).

Conclusion

Introduction of k-support is the first trial in Japan. For emergency diseases such as ischemic heart diseases and stroke, we could perform responses earlier than ever by providing this system.