A Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Hospital pilot program is testing the use of a telehealth cart to treat non-critical patients who come to the emergency department, according to WRAL.com.
Through the program, ED patients are taken to a room with a telehealth cart. The cart includes a camera through which a physician can communicate with a patient.
"The physician can ask any question that is necessary," said Neel Kapadia, MD, a Duke emergency physician, according to the report. Although the patient may be sent back to the waiting room, the physician can order necessary blood tests or imaging tests and make developments on the patient's case.
"So, then when they ultimately do get into a room, a lot more information is already back," Dr. Kapadia said. "It saves them an hour and allows us to turn over the room faster and get that next patient into a room."
Although the pilot program ends next month, Duke officials plan to increase use of the telehealth cart in the ED.