Extending Kansas Telemedicine Applications in Africa

Ryan SpauldingDirector, Center for Telemedicine & TelehealthResearch Associate Professor, Health Policy & Management

Telemedicine in U.S. Current telemedicine movement began in late 1980’s At least one telemedicine program per state Many are based in university medical centers Combination of grant and state funding; few are self-sustaining Research and development focused American Telemedicine Association www.americantelemed.org

Kansas Telemedicine Experience First implemented in 1991 with one hospital Primarily facilitated by interactive videoconference Program has expanded into more hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and clinics Cardiology, mental health, oncology, pediatrics, many others

Telehealth Practice

Ryan Spaulding, PhDDirectorCenter for Telemedicine & TelehealthAssistant Professor, Health Policy and ManagementKansas University Medical Center

Telemedicine in Early 1990’s

Telemedicine in 2010

Group Sessions and Educational Events

Mobile Video Units

Electronic Otoscope for Pediatrics

Echocardiograms

Intended Benefits of Telemedicine Improve health care access in rural areas Retain patients locally in their home communities Reduce patient travel time and costs Improve patient quality of life Reduce provider travel time to outreach sites and associated costs

Challenges Limited adoption by providers Requires significant coordination Not integrated in clinic flow Reimbursement not standardized Rural areas have inconsistent broadband internet service Financial sustainability is difficult

Technical Infrastructure Videoconference unit High Definition (HD) is now the standard Robust IP connectivity is needed (H.323 protocol) True HD requires 1-2 Mbps HD units can still achieve better quality than SD at lower bandwidths (384 or 768) Firewalls need proper settings Quality of Service (QoS) priority is preferred

Also Home Telehealth Particularly useful for post-acute management… …and older population May reduce ED visits, hospitalizations May delay nursing facility placement May reduce Medicare and Medicaid costs

International Projects Yerevan, Armenia – Tumor boards, 2nd Opinion service Kathmandu, Nepal – Cancer related education, physician-patient consultation Uganda, Africa – continuing nursing education

Future Directions Decentralized telemedicine stations Mobile, wireless solutions Integration in clinical spaces More seamless Integration with other health information technologies 3G, 4G, smartphones

International Challenges Specialist availability Robust, reliable bandwidth Communication (language, time difference) Cultural issues Resources Sustainability

Questions or Comments