Use of telemedicine and telephone consultation in decision-making and follow-up of burn patients: Initial experience from two burn units

Abstract

Objective This study investigated the use of telemedicine in decision-making and follow-up of burn patients. Methods The Konya Burn Unit was established in July 2003, and up to December 2009, 187 patients were admitted to this unit, all of them were consulted—via audiovisual transmission of data (telemedicine)—to the same burn surgeon at the Ankara Burn Referral Center of our hospital network. Three basic systems are currently used: live interactive video, store-and-forward images, and telephone. The demographic data and burn criteria of the patients were investigated. Changes in the number of televisits and patient management were analyzed. Results During the 66-month timeframe, 525 televisits were performed on 187 patients. There were 126 males (67.4%) and 61 females (32.6%). The mean total burn surface area (percentage of total burn surface area burned) was 23.3 ± 17.8% (range, 3–95%). Nine of the 187 patients (4.8%) died owing to multiorgan failure and sepsis. As a result of these televisits, 21 patients (11.2%) were transferred to our referral center. The number of dead and transferred patients decreased during the study. Conclusions Telemedicine is appropriate and cost-effective for treatment and follow-up of patients in burn units with personnel with limited experience.