Teladoc could help save hundreds of premature babies’ lives. (Image Credit: Omar Lopez / Unsplash)
Remote doctors could help save premature babies’ lives through robotic technology that was trialed during the pandemic. So far, Telemedicine robots, which allow consultants to establish bedside video calls, were used at Liverpool Women’s and Alder Hey children’s hospitals, treating sick babies. Now, the hospitals’ neonatal unit plans to deploy the Teladoc devices so specialists can utilize them to help teams treat children at smaller hospitals, especially during emergencies.
The easy-to-use device, mounted atop a mobile frame, contains cameras, a screen, and a stethoscope. It connects to MRI scanners and thermal-imaging cameras and allows a consultant stationed elsewhere to review a patients’ medical record. Two of these devices have already been used in March 2020, when the Liverpool hospital lost 7 of 14 consultants due to isolation or shielding.
It was better to use the robots rather than having a consultant on the spot because the Teladoc’s camera provides an overhead view of the baby, allowing doctors to see what’s happening. This is a better option because if doctors were present, they wouldn’t be able to see much due to the people surrounding the baby.
Approximately 90,000 babies born in England need specialist care. Currently, 54 NICUs treat severe premature baby cases and those with serious conditions. Meanwhile, 83 hospitals have LNUs that provide short-term intensive care. 44 Special Care Baby Units monitor less severe cases. Doctors attempt to identify which fetus needs care after birth. However, that isn’t always possible, and 9,523 babies had to be transferred between hospitals at least once in 2015.
Dr. Chris Dewhurst, the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership’s clinical director, is working to secure funding for the devices in hospitals with SCBUs, allowing clinical teams to ask for a specialist’s advice. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, deployed a similar system. As a result, only babies with severe conditions were transferred, resulting in a 30 to 50% transfer reduction.
The Mayo clinic’s study showed that having remote neonatologists meant that clinical teams in smaller hospitals could feel less overwhelmed from treating a sick baby. In that case, a babies’ temperature, breathing, and glucose levels were more likely to be checked.
University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust is currently undergoing trials on consultants performing elective surgery. Dr. Steven Jackson said that consultants in different areas could call into consultation and talk about the case on the spot.
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