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Geriatric ward rounds by video conference: a solution for rural hospitals

Leonard C Gray, Olivia R Wright, Alison J Cutler, Paul A Scuffham and Richard Wootton
Med J Aust 2009; 191 (11): 605-608. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb03345.x
Published online: 7 December 2009
Methods
The practice model

The geriatric unit operates as a post-acute service. Patients are identified for admission within a few days of entry to the hospital through a combination of screening and referral.4 This pre-transfer process includes an online assessment performed by a geriatrician using a web-based clinical decision support system based on the interRAI Acute Care assessment system.5,6

A shared care arrangement is used, with the initial treating medical team continuing to manage medical aspects of the patients’ care. The geriatrician provides additional diagnostic input and oversees functional and psychosocial interventions as well as discharge planning. The model is thus a variation of the Acute Care of the Elderly model described by Palmer and colleagues.7,8

Weekly rounds are conducted by videoconference (VC). The web-based clinical support system enables the remote clinician to have accurate clinical information, particularly with reference to geriatric syndromes and functional and psychosocial problems. Pathology results can be viewed online. The geriatrician is able to view all of this information at his or her office desk alongside the VC monitor (Box 1).

Interaction is achieved through a wireless, mobile VC apparatus, which enables two-way vision and conversation between the geriatrician and the patient, accompanying nurse, and junior house doctor. The camera is controlled remotely by the geriatrician, permitting about 270-degree panning and a zoom capability sufficient to read 12-point text.

The videoconferencing data are transmitted from the mobile equipment to a wireless access point located in the ward area, and then via a private local area network (LAN) to a digital subscriber line (DSL) router. The wide area data transmission occurs over a business-grade DSL connection (512 kbps symmetric [ie, providing the same bandwidth upstream and downstream]). Standard commercial videoconferencing codecs (coder-decoders) (the Sony PCS-1 system) are employed at each end. Hardware maintenance and bookings are managed remotely by the Centre for Online Health at the University of Queensland.

The apparatus is wheeled to the bedside and, after a brief introduction by the nurse on site, the conversation and examinations are led by the remote clinician (Box 2). Typically, there is a discussion with the nurse and house doctor; a review of pathology and imaging; a patient interview and clinical examination, including a gait and balance examination; a review of the medication chart; and a final discussion.

On the same day, a multidisciplinary team meeting is conducted by VC. The format is similar to that offered in most geriatric and rehabilitation wards.

Once a month during the evaluation period, the geriatrician visited the hospital and conducted a traditional in-person ward round. The purpose was to collect data on the activity and cost of in-person consultations for comparison purposes.

Evaluation
Results
Cost analysis

The mean consultation time per patient was 15.3 minutes (95% CI, 13.6–16.9 minutes) for consultations conducted by VC and 13.7 minutes (95% CI, 11.5–15.9 minutes) for in-person consultations. New patients required a mean of 19.7 (95% CI, 17.0–22.4) and 19.0 (95% CI, 15.2–22.8) minutes for VC and in-person consultations, respectively. The mean time per patient spent in meetings was 4.8 minutes (95% CI, 4.2–5.4 minutes) for VC team meetings and 5.5 minutes (95% CI, 4.3–6.7 minutes) for in-person team meetings. Thus, a typical ward round of 12 patients required 140–200 minutes in both formats, and the team meeting required 50–80 minutes.

Travel by road to and from the hospital was about 200 minutes for the round trip. Therefore, including travel time, ward rounds and team meetings, in-person consultations with patients required a total weekly time allocation of around 8.5 hours, while the VC approach required 5.0 hours when breaks and disruptions were included. This resulted in a time difference of 3.5 hours, largely attributable to travel time. Cost analyses for VC ward rounds compared with in-person ward rounds are shown in Box 3.

The estimated annual cost of geriatric consultations performed in person, but excluding travel-related costs, was $55 202, which included the geriatrician’s wages for the ward round team meeting, nurse training costs and operating costs. When travel time costs and travel distance costs (125 km each way) were included, the annual cost of geriatric consultations performed in person was $90 909.

The estimated annual cost of geriatric consultations by VC, where no travel was required, was $73 078. This cost included the geriatrician’s wages for the ward round and team meeting; nurse training costs; operating costs; DSL fees; and setup costs for the videoconferencing system.

Thus, approximately $18 000 per annum can be saved by having a geriatrician provide video consultations rather than travel 250 km each week to provide in-person consultations.

The results of a sensitivity analysis of the effect of “low” and “high” input costs on the cost difference between VC and in-person consultations are summarised in Box 4.

The effects of varying the travel distance and cost per kilometre travelled, while holding all other aspects of the model constant, are summarised in Box 5. At the cost per kilometre identified in the base case ($2.75/km), videoconferencing (at a level of 5 hours per week) becomes cost-saving when the round trip is 125 km or longer. At a low-estimate cost of $1.25/km, videoconferencing becomes cost-saving if the total distance travelled for each visit exceeds 275 km. At a high-estimate cost of $4.25/km, videoconferencing becomes cost-saving when the total distance travelled each week is 81 km or more.

Discussion

To our knowledge, the model of service delivery described here is unique in geriatric medical practice. Reviews in the literature suggest that patient acceptance of telemedicine is generally high,9,10 but no previous studies in a geriatric population have been reported. As the prevalence of cognitive, visual and communication deficits in this population is high, it is important to specifically verify acceptance. Our study indicated a high level of patient acceptance.

Key drivers of the cost differences between in-person and VC ward rounds in our study were travel time costs, travel distance costs and annuitised VC equipment costs. Variations in DSL usage and rental have a lesser impact on the total cost of conducting ward rounds and thus on the cost differences between the two systems.

The videoconferencing model limits the ability to perform a “hands on” clinical examination. Although there is evidence that cognitive assessment and neurological examination can be performed reliably by VC,11 the geriatrician is reliant on the judgement of others for examinations requiring palpation and auscultation. The potential loss of accuracy in these areas of assessment in geriatric practice requires further research. Nevertheless, in many communities, a telemedicine service will be the only viable means of having access to the expertise of a geriatrician. Thus, the key research question is whether a telemedicine-delivered service is better than no service.

The model appears to be immediately applicable to hospitals that have a sufficient caseload of frail older patients to justify establishing a geriatric ward but are unable to recruit a geriatrician. We envisage extension of the model to other inpatient clinical situations, including geriatric consultation in non-geriatric wards and in small rural hospitals where a geriatric ward configuration is not justified.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that a geriatrician can provide major input into the operations of a remote geriatric unit, using a combination of online clinical information and videoconferencing. The service is sustainable, well accepted by patients and staff, and less expensive than in-person consultations if the geriatrician’s total weekly travel time exceeds 72 minutes — a remarkably short time. This service model has the potential for widespread application wherever geriatric specialists are in short supply and the requisite technical infrastructure is available.

  • Leonard C Gray1
  • Olivia R Wright1
  • Alison J Cutler2
  • Paul A Scuffham3
  • Richard Wootton1,4

  • 1 University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD.
  • 2 Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich, QLD.
  • 3 School of Medicine, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD.
  • 4 Scottish Centre for Telehealth, Aberdeen, Scotland.


Correspondence: len.gray@uq.edu.au

Acknowledgements: 

The Princess Alexandra Hospital Private Practice Fund provided funding for the evaluation. Queensland Health and Toowoomba Base Hospital provided funds to operate the service. Special thanks to Jillian Richardson, Nurse Unit Manager, and Susanne Pearce, Nurse Assessor, who contributed to the operational design of the service, and George Leaper, the medical student who administered the patient satisfaction survey.

Competing interests:

None identified.

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