Joanne Murren-Boezem1,2,3, Patricia Solo-Josephson1,2,3, Cynthia M Zettler-Greeley4. 1. Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando, Florida, USA. 2. Section on Telehealth Care, American Academy of Pediatrics, Itasca, Illinois, USA. 3. University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, Florida, USA. 4. Nemours Children's Health System, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Abstract
Background: Hurricane Irma, a catastrophic Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida on September 10, 2017. Nemours CareConnect (NCC) offered direct-to-consumer (DTC) pediatric telemedicine during Hurricane Irma. Introduction: Although other programs have examined disaster response and postdisaster recovery by using telemedicine, no studies report use of a pediatric-specific, DTC platform during all three phases of disaster management. Materials and Methods: This IRB-approved study is a retrospective analysis of NCC's audio-visual telemedicine encounters performed on September 8-16, 2017. Results: From September 8 to 16, 2017, NCC recorded 262 completed telemedicine visits. The mean wait time was 12.23 ± 14.4 min. The mean length of the telemedicine encounter was 10.12 ± 4.42 min. Most telemedicine visits occurred on the day before the storm (27.9%), followed by the day after the storm (19.5%). Most common chief complaints were upper respiratory symptoms (33.6%), skin-related concerns (19.1%), fever (16.8%), and gastrointestinal concerns (6.5%). Patient satisfaction remained high during the storm, for the provider as well as the platform. Discussion: During Hurricane Irma, NCC offered accessible and efficient care to families who were impacted by the storm throughout Florida. Results suggest a differential pattern of use before the storm's arrival, during, and immediately after the storm, which may be informative to other telemedicine providers. Conclusion: Further research is needed on the integration of telemedicine into the disaster preparedness plans at a local, state, and national level to ensure maximum support for those families in need.
Background: Hurricane Irma, a catastrophic Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida on September 10, 2017. Nemours CareConnect (NCC) offered direct-to-consumer (DTC) pediatric telemedicine during Hurricane Irma. Introduction: Although other programs have examined disaster response and postdisaster recovery by using telemedicine, no studies report use of a pediatric-specific, DTC platform during all three phases of disaster management. Materials and Methods: This IRB-approved study is a retrospective analysis of NCC's audio-visual telemedicine encounters performed on September 8-16, 2017. Results: From September 8 to 16, 2017, NCC recorded 262 completed telemedicine visits. The mean wait time was 12.23 ± 14.4 min. The mean length of the telemedicine encounter was 10.12 ± 4.42 min. Most telemedicine visits occurred on the day before the storm (27.9%), followed by the day after the storm (19.5%). Most common chief complaints were upper respiratory symptoms (33.6%), skin-related concerns (19.1%), fever (16.8%), and gastrointestinal concerns (6.5%). Patient satisfaction remained high during the storm, for the provider as well as the platform. Discussion: During Hurricane Irma, NCC offered accessible and efficient care to families who were impacted by the storm throughout Florida. Results suggest a differential pattern of use before the storm's arrival, during, and immediately after the storm, which may be informative to other telemedicine providers. Conclusion: Further research is needed on the integration of telemedicine into the disaster preparedness plans at a local, state, and national level to ensure maximum support for those families in need.
Authors: J A Molino; G Guillén; O Rocha; B Oliver; S López Fernández; H A Khan; I de Mir; I Iglesias; M López Journal: J Healthc Qual Res Date: 2022-06-23
Authors: Paul Sandifer; Landon Knapp; Maureen Lichtveld; Ruth Manley; David Abramson; Rex Caffey; David Cochran; Tracy Collier; Kristie Ebi; Lawrence Engel; John Farrington; Melissa Finucane; Christine Hale; David Halpern; Emily Harville; Leslie Hart; Yulin Hswen; Barbara Kirkpatrick; Bruce McEwen; Glenn Morris; Raymond Orbach; Lawrence Palinkas; Melissa Partyka; Dwayne Porter; Aric A Prather; Teresa Rowles; Geoffrey Scott; Teresa Seeman; Helena Solo-Gabriele; Erik Svendsen; Terry Tincher; Juli Trtanj; Ann Hayward Walker; Rachel Yehuda; Fuyuen Yip; David Yoskowitz; Burton Singer Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2020-10-15