Effect of Telestroke on Emergent Stroke Care and Stroke Outcomes
Therapies Saturday, July 5th, 2014STROKEAHA: April 24, 2014
The delivery of medical care through telecommunication has been available in one form or another for ≈100 years. In the early 1900s, people living in remote areas of Australia used 2-way radios (powered by dynamos and bicycle pedals) to communicate with the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service. The first direct reference to telemedicine in the literature was in the 1950s, with the transmission of radiological images by telephone in Philadelphia, closely followed by the teleradiology system established in Montreal, Canada.1 Telemedicine by video communication was first implemented by the University of Nebraska in the 1960s to allow clinicians to service remote populations.1 Jumping forward to the 21st century, there are now ≥55 telestroke programs in 27 states of the United States that deliver stroke services to ≥350 spoke hospitals. Read More