THE VALUE OF TELEHEALTH ON A NATIONAL CATASTROPHE

By Dr. Emid Núñez Conde

Discussion: Opportunities in Telehealth

• Identify a situation in which you might use telehealth

Suppose there is a seismic catastrophe of a type Mescali Scale 7.5 above. It means that all buildings suffer from detachment of the masonry and some will fall.

That does not happen as what happened in Hurricane Katrina that the wound could not help because the interstate coordinated effort could not be because they never had coordinated several state aid in disaster.

Suppose there is a mobile hospital prepared and when the earthquake happens there is an overwhelming number of wounded. The aids are activated and begin to understand the energy system of the Hospital. A general hospital with 500 beds ready for catastrophic emergency.

As we serve a population and stabilized with a treatment plan emergency stabilization.

• What concerns might you have in implementing it?

It is known that in acute cases, intensive care and severely traumatized cases, medical intervention time stabilization is crucial to saving lives.

Within these process logistics usually arrive cases and it takes to organize resources to flow process in mass emergency care.

So the implantation of biometric equipment, taking vital signs, monitoring equipment, resuscitation, equipment of all kinds to stabilize can be arranged in a specific place for action after the disaster.

Satellite telecommunications systems part of the hospital team is available for audio and video data and satellite level, a team that has a radius of 25 miles.

• What strategies would you use to successfully implement telehealth?

In terms of work must have the following:

The Emergency Operations Center with Telemedicine and Tele Catastrophic Nursing:

All emergency system is connected to the internet at high speed and satellite, all teams will be trained with Wifi and encryption due to patient confidentiality.

1) A receiving area and do a triage cases to define and classify cases.

- Here with a scanner can give sorting cases and the Wifi can besides attending the patient quick way to give guidance in the process of emergence.

2) An area of ​​severe trauma with multiple improvised operating rooms.

- Rooms fully equipped with beds fully equipped with alarms, cameras, robotic accessories for treatment in case of shortage of staff in the disaster and all equipment Wifi attentive and skilled caregiver for any eventuality.

3) An area for stabilized patients in serious condition

 - Here the system will be being monitored by a team of caregivers consist of doctors and nurses in the operations center.

- With alarm system to alert any eventuality.

4) The stabilization system care patients and stable.

- Here were implemented several giant booths prepared with emergency personnel will be trained to activated social networks ready for disaster with satellite internet equipment at the time after the disaster happens.

A project of this magnitude, the primary focus is to shorten the time of intervention to stabilize in record time to patients coming from the earthquake.

This  imaginary project is supposed  expected to save many lives and especially those who have the power to make decisions and budget note this policy.