August 23, 2017 by CallisonRTKL

Telemedicine: Checking In and Checking Up

CallisonRTKL’s Steve Juett explores how telemedicine brings hospitals into the future.

In a day and age in which video conferencing and immediate informational transfers are the norm, telemedicine has become a buzzword that just won’t quit. Processes like gathering patient vitals, collecting symptoms and diagnosing simple problems have become increasingly automated—and they can now even be done from the comfort of one’s own home. Telemedicine also allows physicians to increase patient engagement as face-to-face video chat with a healthcare provider is made possible with private/secured video conferencing technologies.

But it’s not only on-the-go that telemedicine plays a role in bringing healthcare into the future.

It can also be integrated into operating rooms. These spaces are often called Integrated Operating Rooms or I-OR.

Telemedicine—like high-res video displays, touch screens and intelligent control of healthcare systems—within operating rooms means that providers can offer remote image-guided surgeries, and that surgeons can connect to colleagues for collaboration and live consultations. It can also open up the surgeries to students via live feeds to conference rooms and auditoriums. Perhaps most importantly, it allows for a simultaneous data exchange with an electronic medical record system.

Many healthcare systems have adopted this technology. The University of California San Francisco has a substantial telemedicine program. CallisonRTKL implemented an expanded I-OR technology to 22 ORs in their Mission Bay hospital, which is a few miles off the main campus. This added new dimensions to the telemedicine program by requiring multi-hospital video communications and expanding their building-to-building network communications.

Telemedicine has many positive effects on the transformation of healthcare. It brings medical services to the people—allowing them to manage chronic conditions, increase patient-physician engagement and receive in-home consultations. But more than that, it brings hospitals into the future and patient services to the next level—totally convenient healthcare.

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CallisonRTKL

For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of nearly 2,000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our client’s businesses and enhancing quality of life.