Spotlight on the News

South Dakota's New "Telemedicine in Motion" Program

It can be a long ambulance ride to the hospital for an EMT or volunteer in rural South Dakota when transporting a critical patient for more than an hour. It makes it difficult to keep both the patient alive and the hospital abreast of the situation.

To make it easier, South Dakota's new "Telemedicine in Motion" program is able to handle the critical shortage of experienced paramedics. A doctor or nurse can now be connected via video and audio to the paramedic in the back of the ambulance which aids the ambulance worker and helps the hospital prep for the incoming patient.

The South Dakota Department of Health has identified 122 ambulances available for use in the new program since the ambulances are already equipped with audio and video equipment provided and monitored by Avel eCare (https://www.avelecare.com).

Rebecca VandeKieft, VP and General Manager for Emergency and EMS Services at Avel eCare said, "Sometimes, we double check the patient's medications, maybe we will help them triage, and maybe help with decision-making. If the situation is extremely serious then it is necessary to consult with the doctor or nurse to discuss what they think."

In some rural areas, the hospitals aren't always equipped to handle some of the very critical patients and may need to fly them elsewhere. The process can move more quickly if the hospital personnel already knows what is going on in terms of the seriousness of the medical situation as reported by the paramedic taking care of the patient in the ambulance.

Hospital personnel are then able to immediately report the patient's serious medical condition to the flight team, so the patient with the serious condition can be flown elsewhere for immediate treatment.