Anyone who is familiar with medical and health technology has heard the term teleICU, but they might not know exactly what that is or how it works. Essentially, a teleICU or eICU provides medical care to patients in intensive care units or elsewhere in a hospital. In the two years since the pandemic began, these remote ICUs have delivered experienced, board-certified care to hospitals dealing with staffing shortages and budget constraints. Here’s more about these remote ICUs.
What Is a TeleICU?
A teleICU is a central command center staffed with board certified ICU physicians, also called intensivists, and critical care nurses who assist and deliver real-time information to in-person ICU staff members who are physically caring for critically ill or injured patients. This information is delivered through a monitor that allows for two-way communication. The ICUs are also equipped with high-definition cameras that can see everywhere in the room, even allowing a remote physician to see the pupils of an ICU patient.
The remote physicians or nurses and the in-person ICU caregivers collaborate together to improve patient outcomes. These experienced doctors can prescribe medication, order diagnostic or laboratory tests, and make care decisions. They have access to the patients’ ehealth records so they have all necessary information about their condition at their fingertips, even if they weren’t the doctor who saw them at an earlier session.
How Does a TeleICU Work?
Remote ICUs work in much the same way as in-person ICUs work. The only real difference is that the critical care physician or nurse is physically located outside the hospital and provides services via a video screen. Just like they do in-person, the telephysician meets with the entire staff at the beginning of each shift to discuss every patient’s condition and formulate a care plan for that shift. Their goal is to assess each patient’s needs and proactively treat them so that their condition doesn’t worsen.
Throughout the shift, if an in-person caregiver has a question about a patient or a patient’s condition deteriorates, the tele-physician is just a video call away, just as they would be if they were physically in the hospital. In fact, they can usually get their answer more quickly through the teleICU because the virtual physician will answer immediately and can be moved from room to room as needed. Remote critical care doctors and nurses can even speak directly to a patient or a patient’s family when necessary as well.
Benefits of a TeleICU
In addition to helping a hospital deal with staffing shortages, a remote ICU can also help hospitals afford full-time ICU physicians even if their budget says they can’t. Hard-to-fill shifts like overnight and weekends are always fully staffed through the remote monitoring center, ensuring patients get the necessary care at the moment they need it. And, because the remote physicians are constantly monitoring patients’ vitals and other information, they can detect a problem right when it occurs, allowing for early intervention.
Conclusion
TeleICUs might seem like something out of a science fiction novel, but they’re becoming more mainstream all the time. In fact, they were literally life savers during the pandemic when staffing shortages were even more prominent. It’s a smart move to ensure every ICU has access to this technology to plan for future unforeseen events.
