Plastic surgery telehealth consultation expedites Emergency Department treatment

Plastic surgery is a field that is particularly amenable to a telehealth milieu, as visual exam and radiographs guide proper diagnosis and management. The goals of this study were to evaluate telehealth feedback executed through an iPad app for plastic surgery-related consultations. A Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement (QA/QI) study was conducted over a 1-month period during which patients with hand injuries, facial injuries, or acute wounds presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of a level-one trauma centre and university hospital were monitored. The study utilized a commercial iPad application through which up to four images and a brief history could be sent to a remote Plastic Surgery Educator (PSE) for evaluation. The PSE would respond with best practice information, references and videos to assist ED point-of-care providers. During the 1-month period of this study, there were 42 ED consultations for plastic surgical conditions. There was a highly significant difference in overall mean respons...