Filed under: Telemedicine | Tags: ACT, acute care, AcuteCare Telemedicine, advanced technology research center, army, care, dr. ronald poropatich, EKGs, health, healthcare, medical conditions, military, modern medicine, physical health, providers, Technology, tele medical technology, telehealth, telemedicine, teleneurology, United States, us, veterans
As we honor our American Veterans this month, it is fitting to examine how Telemedicine, the exchange of medical information via electronic communications, has vastly changed the way deployed soldiers receive access to health care and how the new communication system promises to offer better access to care for veterans in the future as well.
When Dr. Ronald Poropatich first joined the military 30 years ago, the digital cameras and web cams required for the use of telemedicine barely existed. Yet, during his career as the deputy director of the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center in the United States Army, Poropatich helped revolutionize health care for soldiers by bringing telemedicine technology to army bases and field hospitals around the world including in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today, soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan can get second opinions on tricky medical situations from doctors located halfway around the world and can receive diagnoses from medical specialists, even when none are stationed at their base. Telemedicine has advanced greatly, allowing soldiers to email photos of electrocardiograms (EKGs) or skin rashes back to physicians back in the U.S., and receive feedback within hours.
This technology has allowed the military to spot medical conditions that would have otherwise been missed or quickly garner second opinions on cases that have the potential to warrant costly evacuations. Telemedicine has also provided a way to treat soldiers for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, or depression, while preserving their privacy.
The survival rate, if you can get to a combat support hospital level 3 facility in Afghanistan, is a fantastic 90 percent, but that means a lot of guys and gals are surviving horrific wounds once thought to be fatal. So providing a telemedicine lifeline to veterans once they are back home is imperative in order for veterans to communicate with health care providers outside of in-office visits. Accessing their care through the use of a cellphone or webcam, recovering soldiers will be more likely to stick with rehabilitation programs and outpatient treatment, ultimately ensuring better mental and physical health outcomes in the long term.
Perhaps the best way to honor our veterans is to provide them the best of medical care through the use of Telemedical Technology.
AcuteCare Telemedicine Blog 