Operation of a Mobile Telemedicine System in the EMS

NCT ID: NCT01647854

Last Updated: 2015-09-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 425 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2012-08-31
• Study Completion Date: 2015-05-31

Brief Summary

The aim of the study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of the operation of a prehospital teleconsultation system in the Emergency Medical Service.

Detailed Description

Six ambulances from five different Emergency Medical Service (EMS) districts are equipped with a portable telemedicine system. The paramedics can use this system to contact a so called "tele-EMS physician" after consent of the patient is obtained. The tele-EMS physician has an audio-connection to the EMS team and receives vital parameters (e.g., ECG, pulse oximetry, non-invasive blood pressure) in real-time. Also 12-lead-ECGs can be transmitted to the tele-EMS physician. The transmission of still pictures - taken with a smartphone - and video streaming from the inside of the ambulance can be carried out, if meaningful. The tele-EMS physician supports the EMS team in obtaining all relevant medical history, ECG diagnosis, general diagnosis and can delegate the application of medications. This can be carried out to bridge the time to the arrival of an EMS physician or in less severe cases without an EMS physician on-scene. The safety and efficacy of the introduction and operation of this system should be evaluated.

Conditions

Prehospital Emergency; Teleconsultation; Safety

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Device: Teleconsultation

If patients give informed consent the paramedics can use this system to contact a so called "tele-EMS physician" with an audio-connection to the EMS team who receives vital parameters (e.g., ECG, pulse oximetry, non-invasive blood pressure) in real-time. Also 12-lead-ECGs can be transmitted to the tele-EMS physician. The transmission of still pictures - taken with a smartphone - and video streaming from the inside of the ambulance can be carried out, if meaningful. The tele-EMS physician supports the EMS team in obtaining all relevant medical history, ECG diagnosis, general diagnosis and can delegate the application of medications. This can be carried out to bridge the time to the arrival of an EMS physician or in less severe cases without an EMS physician on-scene. The safety and efficacy of the introduction and operation of this system should be evaluated.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Teleconsultation

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Teleconsultation in prehospital emergencies

Interventions

Teleconsultation

Teleconsultation in prehospital emergencies

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• prehospital emergency
• consent of the patient for teleconsultation was obtained or patient is unable to consent due to the severity of the emergency

Exclusion Criteria

• patient refuses consent for teleconsultation
• psychiatric emergency

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

RWTH Aachen University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Rolf Rossaint, Prof. Dr.

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

University Hospital Aachen, Germany, Department of Anesthesiology

Jörg C Brokmann, Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University Hospital Aachen, Germany, Emergency Department

Locations

University Hospital Aachen

Aachen, , Germany

Countries

Germany

Other Identifiers

PtJ-Az.: z0909im002b

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

005-1003-0034-5

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id