Desktop Telemedicine in Vascular Surgery: Some Preliminary Findings

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Abstract
Objective Surgical specialists have generally underutilized telemedicine technologies. This report describes the use of real-time interactive-video telemedicine to augment the care of vascular surgical patients in underserved rural areas within our region. Materials and Methods The telemedicine system at Fletcher-Allen Health Care (FAHC) and the University of Vermont in Burlington utilizes desktop video conferencing technology with terrestrial transmission at 384 kbps. The current system was initiated in January 1996, and there are at present 18 external sites and multiple locations at FAHC, including the vascular laboratory, angiography suites, operating rooms, and the home of one vascular surgeon. During the first 12 months of operation, the vascular surgeons were asked to complete a questionnaire to evaluate the technology and its usefulness in clinical care. The use of the telemedicine system by the vascular surgeons was monitored by the questionnaires, phone bills, and a special "no charge" billing c...

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