PMID: 17013076

Issn Print: 0361-929X

Publication Date: 2006/09/01


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School Nursing and Telehealth

Patricia McCartney

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Excerpt

Although the dazzle of new telehealth applications in maternal-child health is alluring, nurses must critically evaluate these programs before widespread implementation. Does the technology improve outcomes? Is the technology cost-effective? Let us consider the use of telehealth in school nursing.
A link to one telehealth program at the University of Rochester Medical Center, designed to care for urban children, was recently shared on the Telehealth List (http://telehealth.net/subscribe/subscribe_all.html). To read about this program and watch a videocast, go to iHealthBeat and search for “Rochester” and “Working parents benefit from Rochester telemedicine program” (iHealthBeat, 2006). Telehealth access is provided for 8,500 children in 11 urban daycare settings and 7 schools connected to a clinician (pediatrician or a pediatric nurse practitioner) at either the University of Rochester Medical Center or physician offices. Both synchronous (interactive audio and visual) and asynchronous (store-and-forward imaging) transmissions are used for the diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses common in childcare settings. The online report emphasizes how working parents benefit from the program by not being compelled to miss work or hide a child's illness.
The computer located in the childcare setting transmits on broadband connections and is equipped with an electronic stethoscope and a digital camera with attachments for ear, nose, throat, eye, and skin images. A technology assistant in the childcare setting initiates the telehealth visit and applies the assessment equipment.
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