AUSTIN, TX – Telehealth has done big things for care delivery nationwide, particularly in the realm of pediatrics. Showcasing these achievements, the ATA's 7th annual Pediatric Telehealth Colloquium – which kicks off Sunday, May 5, at noon and runs through Tuesday, May 7 – will underscore the work of nine clinicians whom have used telehealth to transform the concept of care delivery and patient experience and point to the future of pediatric medicine.
Among Sunday's presenters will be Stephen Minton, MD, a neonatologist at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare, whose opening presentation is titled, "Keynote and Telemedicine Toolkit: The Foundation for Starting a Telemedicine Program."
Minton is spearheading an innovative redesign of the neonatal intensive care unit at Utah Valley Regional Hospital, which will feature, among other things, the installation of three bedside cameras at each of the 65 NICU beds. The goals are improved communication, better care and strong relationships, said Minton, who emphasizes the necessity of putting parents at the forefront of the idea process.
"When you get down to the nitty-gritty, the number one thing that people really want to do is recover being a parent of babies in the NICU (and) be participants in the kinds of care that take place," he said.
Minton said telehealth technology also facilitates improved physician-parent communication. Throughout the day he visits some 65 babies in the NICU and oftentimes may not get to a specific baby for a long period of time, so parents either are left waiting, or he'll call them via telephone.
With a 24-hour video feed, Minton – also carrying his own camera – can verbalize a description of the baby on camera, which the parents can then access at any time. "When we communicate, we communicate not only with sound but with vision and people's responses," he said.
Making communication a chief concern in the NICU has greatly improved the care process with parents, Minton said, and also fostered relationships between physician and parent. Since 1979, when he started the NICU unit, Minton has helped care for some 26,000 babies and has never faced a lawsuit.
It's "really unusual in critical care medicine to go quite that long," he said. "And the reason isn't that I haven't made mistakes. The reason is because I communicate with parents, and so they understand what you're really trying to do. That's really all what people want. They want to be involved, and they want to feel like they have a voice and that you care."
Minton's session, held in Meeting Room 12 A/B, will also feature presentations from Bryan Burke, MD, associate professor and director of term nursery, and Terri Imus, RN, ANGELS outreach – both from the University of Arkansas for Medical Science.
The pediatric colloquium's second Sunday session, "Speed Rounds: Meet the Experts in Pediatric Telemedicine," will feature James P. Marcin, MD, professor of pediatric critical care, and Madan Dharmar, assistant professor of research, both of UC Davis; Bryan Burke, MD, associate professor and director of term nursery; and Julie Hall-Barrow, director for rural health and primary care at the Arkansas Department of Health. This session will be held in Meeting Room 12 A/B from 1-2 p.m.
Speaking at the colloquium's third Sunday session, "The Lopez Foundation and International Cross Specialty Pediatric Telehealth," will be Silvio Vega, MD, medical director of the Panamanian Telemedicine and Telehealth Program; Stuart E. Siegel, MD, director of the Center for International Health; and Todd Hovey, managing director at the Lopez Family Foundation, who will discuss how telehealth is being used across borders to improve care of patients living in rural, indigenous areas. This session will be held from 2-3 p.m. in Ballroom E.
Monday's sessions are as follows:
- "Evaluation Methods in Pediatric Telehealth," 11 a.m.-noon, Meeting Room 12 A/B.
- "Systems Issues in Meeting Communication and Hearing Needs of Infants and Young Children via Telehealth," 1:15-2:15 p.m., Meeting Room 12 A/B.
- "The Use of Telemedicine in Inpatient Settings," 3-4 p.m., Meeting Room 12 A/B
- "The Use of Telemedicine in Outpatient Settings," 4:15-5:15 p.m., Meeting Room 12 A/B.
Tuesday's sessions are as follows:
- "From Conceptualization to Implementation: How to Create a School-Based Telehealth Clinic in Your School System," 11 a.m.-noon, Meeting Room 12 A/B.
- "mHealth Application in Pediatrics – Development, Practice and Impact," 1:15-2:15 p.m., Meeting Room 12 A/B.
- "The Use of Telemedicine for International Settings," 3-4 p.m., Meeting Room 12 A/B.
- "Subspecialist Use of Telemedicine," 4:15-5:15 p.m., Meeting Room 12 A/B.
