ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a definition of acute care telemedicine and explores case examples of the role of telemedicine in each of the domains identified by Hirshon et al. It focuses on the clinical application of telemedicine, rather than the underlying technology used. The characteristics of acute care telemedicine reflect the circumstances that bring the patients to care—the care is typically unscheduled, resulting from trauma, sudden exacerbation of an existing condition, or unexpected illness. The benefits of acute care telemedicine can be considered from the perspective of the patient and their family, the clinician, and the healthcare system. From the health system perspective, telemedicine can support the high level of clinical care achieved through service regionalization and the appropriate and economical use of hospital and transport resources. Duchesne et al. examined the use of telemedicine for managing rural patients who initially presented at local community hospitals.
