Impact of TeleICU in Decreasing the Cases of Re-Intubation and Re-Admission
Re-intubation has always been somewhat prevalent amongst critically ill patients, especially those returning from an ICU. As per a study, almost 10%-20% tend to be re-intubed within three days.
An observational data also suggests that almost 40%-90% of patients will show a sign of edema.
Like re-intubation, re-admission is also a prevalent scenario in most healthcare centres. Approximately around one person amongst 20 usually get readmitted within seven days. Although 19% of the readmissions can be avoided, it’s still a glaring matter to look at.
What are the Reasons Behind Re-intubation
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Re-intubation can be prompted due to several reasons. Some of these are –
- Respiratory failure (happens in almost 28% of cases)
- Tube malposition (around 17% of patients experience it)
- Kinked or blocked airway (common in 14% of cases)
Contrary to popular belief, re-intubation isn’t correlated with accidental extubation. However, it can be caused by poor extubation planning.
How Does Tele-ICU Solve It?
Solves Diagnostic Complications
Misdiagnosis has been a glaring issue in healthcare since its very beginning. An approximate 40,000 to 80,000 people tend to die in the USA due to this issue. However, with Tele-ICU, this issue has begun to tone down in recent years. But, how’s this happening? In a telemedicine-based environment, a physician gets to monitor their patients in real-time. Therefore, it becomes easier for them to know when an individual’s in distress or not. Besides, the system also helps in diagnosing an ailment pretty accurately. So, in a way, it becomes easier for them to treat patients accurately. Due to this reason, almost 93% of healthcare specialists consider Tele-ICU to be an ideal medical care alternative.
Ensures Quality Treatment
As mentioned before, most cases of re-intubation are usually caused by a lack of concentration or thorough treatment. Such errors are not only prevalent in this aspect but almost in every segment of the current healthcare system. As per reports, almost 2.6 million people tend to lose their life due to a mistake made by their physician. Around 263 million patients also get harmed due to the same reason. However, it is yet another aspect, which can be straightened by using Tele-ICU. With this system, the doctors can collaborate with each other when treating a critically ill patient. Moreover, they can also offer remote treatment to people who cannot come to a hospital for some reason.
Conclusion
Although being conceptualised in the 1970s, Tele-ICU is still a relatively new technology. Therefore, it may not be able to reduce the number of re-intubations to zero. However, it can offer several potentials to the prevalent issues in this aspect and reduce significant complications. Hopefully, in the near future, it will be able to evolve to its proper form and become a pioneer in the critical care segment.
