TY - JOUR AU - Armfield, Nigel R. AU - Coulthard, Mark G. AU - Slater, Anthony AU - McEniery, Julie AU - Elcock, Mark AU - Ware, Robert S. AU - Scuffham, Paul A. AU - Bensink, Mark E. AU - Smith, Anthony C. PY - 2014 DA - 2014/11/11 TI - The effectiveness of telemedicine for paediatric retrieval consultations: rationale and study design for a pragmatic multicentre randomised controlled trial JO - BMC Health Services Research SP - 546 VL - 14 IS - 1 AB - In many health systems, specialist services for critically ill children are typically regionalised or centralised. Studies have shown that high-risk paediatric patients have improved survival when managed in specialist centres and that volume of cases is a predictor of care quality. In acute cases where distance and time impede access to specialist care, clinical advice may be provided remotely by telephone. Emergency retrieval services, attended by medical and nursing staff may be used to transport patients to specialist centres. Even with the best quality retrieval services, stabilisation of the patient and transport logistics may delay evacuation to definitive care. Several studies have examined the use of telemedicine for providing specialist consultations for critically ill children. However, no studies have yet formally examined the clinical effectiveness and economic implications of using telemedicine in the context of paediatric patient retrieval. SN - 1472-6963 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-014-0546-9 DO - 10.1186/s12913-014-0546-9 ID - Armfield2014 ER -