Telecardiology is a form of telehealth providing remote diagnosis and treatment of heart disorders. Doctors can conduct tests, share data, and track patient heart conditions with the assistance of telecardiology services. Patients’ symptoms can be tracked, and ongoing care and results are stored in a secure online database. With telecardiology, doctors help patients avoid dangerous scenarios.
Tests are performed by board-certified physicians who provide comprehensive interpretations of tests within hours. Patients can receive results, recommendations, and treatment plans from the comfort of their homes using video conferencing. Doctors can review results, answer questions and provide a better understanding of the patient’s condition. Here are 10 ways telecardiology can lead to improved outcomes for cardiac patients.
1. Early Diagnosis
Early diagnosis provides treatment in a timely manner, increasing a patient’s chances of recovery and/or survival. When treatment is delayed or diagnosis is not made in the early stages, it can be fatal for patients. With remote access to a cardiac specialist, care is provided at the time it is needed. Tests performed and assessed via telecardiology include:
- Echocardiogram Telecardiology
- Venous insufficiency and venous insufficiency diagnosis
- Echo interpretation
- Coronary CT Angiogram
2. Easier Access for Check-ups
Patients who require long trips to a doctor’s office or specialist often allow their health to suffer because they avoid making follow-up appointments. Because heart conditions often require an onslaught of tests, maintenance treatment and testing, underserved areas where specialists are not available can increase the risk for cardiac patients. However, telecardiology helps remove inequality in care by providing consultations and diagnoses remotely through National Telecardiology Companies and services.
3. Emergency Treatment for Acute Coronary Events
Utilizing telecardiology during an emergency, doctors can capture a 12-lead ECG before hospitalization is required. A medical-grade ECG can send data to care providers to assess patients experiencing chest pain. Data is shared and reviewed remotely, which improves diagnostic accuracy so doctors can quickly determine whether a patient is experiencing angina, non-ischemic chest pain or acute myocardial infarction. In emergencies, immediate action is taken to ensure the patient is attended at the closest healthcare facility for treatment.
3. Echocardiography in ICU
Telecardiology is deployed across the country to help patients at smaller healthcare facilities in remote areas receive treatment at larger critical access hospitals. Using telemedicine helps improve access to echocardiography imaging as well as access to the ICU, ERs and nursery units. As a result, care providers can perform urgent echocardiography 24/7/365 to assess a range of conditions, including ventricular function.
4. Heart Donor Status
Telecardiology can be used to quickly determine heart donor status. As a result, patients waiting for transplants can receive hearts sooner to increase their chances of survival.
5. Telecardiology Consultations
General practitioners can now consult on their cardiac patients’ condition with cardiologists and other specialists to help treat patients effectively. With access to heart specialists, underserved areas are positively impacted, as they can access a higher level of care for their patients. As well, patients who are discharged following surgery see a transfer of care from their cardiologist to their GP.
GPs can ensure they are making the right decisions for their patients through telecardiology and remote consultations. They can also replace ambulatory visits with telemedicine making it easier to treat patients with systemic hypertension or other chronic conditions.
6. Diagnosing Arrhythmias
Telecardiology allows doctors to diagnose arrhythmias. Testing pinpoints the location of the arrhythmia, so doctors can more easily determine the causes and, in turn, recommend the best treatment for their patients. Doctors can also determine if patients are at risk for developing heart arrhythmias and decide if they wish to monitor their patients more closely.
Using transtelephonic event recorders, doctors have a more accurate and reliable device than the traditional Holter monitor. Following a significant cardiac arrhythmia, patients often experience palpitations which can be determined through telecardiology. The transtelephonic event recorder can also reveal a significant number of erratic abnormalities, including tachyarrhythmias in patients wearing pacemakers.
7. Collaboration for Chronic Cardiac Care
Providing multidisciplinary cardiac care for patients who have experienced heart failure can also improve outcomes and reduce the need for hospitalization. Telecardiology allows key healthcare providers to collaborate on treatment, including not just specialists and GPs but also home care nurses, family care providers and others involved in treatment and monitoring. Patients can be monitored remotely by any number of practitioners, reducing the stress of unnecessary travel to healthcare facilities.
8. Pediatric Cardiac Care
A telephonic stethoscope can help pediatricians distinguish between functional and organic murmurs in children without being in the room with the patient. Researchers have also developed the ability to do remote MRIs for heart procedures, enabling the processing of remote diagnostic coronary CTs and MRIs in both children and adults. This capability can benefit pediatricians, other specialists and GPs.
9. Real-time Surgery Consultations
Specialists can be brought into the operating room via video conferencing to examine live ultrasound feeds during surgery. They can provide valuable recommendations without the need to be in the operating room. This additional real-time advice improves patient outcomes while reducing the time spent under anesthetic.
10. More Patients Can be Seen by Fewer Cardiologists
The demand for cardiologist consultations is on the rise due to an aging population. This means long waits for patients, especially those in remote areas. However, telecardiology allows cardiologists and other specialists to be present via telehealth, making more efficient use of the consultant’s time. As a result, more patients can be seen at the consultation stage by combining ultrasound and teleconferencing technology. Physicians save working hours to see more patients and deliver diagnoses to ensure they receive proper treatment earlier.
Telecardiology allows patients to receive a more consistent level of care regardless of their economic status or location. They can be tested, diagnosed, monitored and treated to greatly improve outcomes. Also, telecardiology allows GPs to use a more collaborative approach for patients with a group of consulting physicians, specialists and other members of their healthcare team.
Telecardiology at Specialist Direct
Telecardiology is an integral part of the services provided by Specialist Direct. Our specialists accurately read and interpret telecardiology studies for better results. Contact us for a consultation or information on our services today.
