The Regional Ain Shams Telemedicine Network

Abstract

Abstract With the deficiency in specialized care and low resources it is vital to come up with new healthcare delivery systems that utilize available resources in an efficient way. The hub-spoke model is not new but has recently been revisited as it aids in sharing of specialized services. A central hub is able to support attached spokes through physical and virtual healthcare services. To manage such a network a strong software platform with several integral features should be in place. Using available solutions may not satisfy all required features and may fragment the patient’s health records. Ain Shams University Virtual Hospital (AVH) dedicated to healthcare transformation in Egypt and the region, manages and connects its spokes through TREAT platform (The REgional Ainshams Telemedicine network) that was funded by the Science and Technology Development Fund. The software platform supports provider-to-provider (P2P) telemedicine but for the sake of continuity of care other telemedicine modules and physical services are present. It helps utilize available resources in an efficient way with the capacity to audit user and system performance. The patient module has a seperate entry point and integrates with the rest of the system. Inpatients and outpatients from inside the system and outside can be managed physically and remotely.