Due to the unpredictable and time-critical nature of emergency care, it would be difficult for a receiving physician to be at a given location all the time. Therefore access at flexible locations is very desirable. To date, three ambulances have been equipped with the system. Four phones with digital data service were used for the current system setup, each with a nominal data rate of 9.6 kbps. Due to the variability in file size per image, a more meaningful indicator of data transfer speed was bytes per second.
Current efforts are underway to resolve the issues.
By conducting the exam during patient transport, time to definite diagnosis can potentially be reduced, resulting in more patients falling within the window of treatment opportunity. Stroke specialists were able to score most of the items using the mobile telemedicine system. By having the paramedics adjust camera angles and use image selection controller, the stroke specialists were satisfied by the quality of the images received and the framerate. Through a series of images, neurologists were able to determine the level of ataxia. Two paramedics and two stroke specialists who had used the mobile telemedicine system answered the survey.