Telemedicine is an effective and reliable tool for level of consciousness in coma patients, according to a study published in Telemedicine and e-Health.
Researchers conducted a prospective trial of 100 subjects comparing the reliability of bedside and remote coma assessments using the Glasgow Coma Scale or Full scale Of UnResponsiveness score, both clinical evaluation tools.
Here are three insights:
1. The mean Glasgow Coma Scale total score at bedside was 7.5 versus the 7.23 score for examination conducted remotely.
2. The mean Full scale Of UnResponsiveness score at bedside was 9.63 as compared to 9.21 for remote examination.
3. The differences between using the clinical evaluation tools at bedside and remotely were very small, showing that "level of consciousness can be reliably assessed using existing robotic telemedicine technology."
Thus, "telemedicine could be adopted to help evaluate critically ill patients in neurologically underserved areas," study authors note.