ICU telemedicine. Organization and communication.

Telemedicine offers off-site physicians the ability to care for patients by providing them with audio-video links and access to relevant clinical data. Traditionally, this care modality has been used to overcome geographic barriers by bringing needed expertise to patients in remote locations. The same technology can be used to bring intensivist expertise to ICU patients. A recent clinical trial has confirmed the efficacy of remote ICU care, with decreases in mortality, complications, and costs that are analogous to those observed with on-site intensivists. If a single, intensivist-led care team can provide round-the-clock, proactive care to patients in multiple ICUs simultaneously, this care modality can be used to overcome current deficiencies in ICU care related to inadequate intensivist availability.