Table 4

Studies of clinical outcomes using interventions of office/hospital-based telemedicine.

Outcomes

Quality Score

Clinical Specialty

Sample

Intervention

Effects

Wootton[37]

II-B

Dermatology

204 patients

Need for special follow-up (RCT)

No difference in need for follow-up

Brennan[36]

I-A

Emergency Medicine

100 patients

Patients randomized to local or telemedicine care (RCT)

No difference in ER return or need for additional care

Rosenfeld[38]

II-B

Intensive Care

201 patients

Addition of remote intensivist to surgical ICU

Decreases in severity-adjusted ICU mortality (46–68%) and hospital mortality (30–33%). Decreases in ICU complications (44–50%) and ICU length of stay (30–34%).

Rendina[39]

II-B

Neonatology

314 patients

Length of stay in NICU for telemedicine vs. no telemedicine

Length of stay decreased significantly related to birth weight

Goh[40]

III-B

Neurosurgery

116 patients

Neurosurgery transfer before and after teleradiology

Fewer adverse events during transfer (8% vs. 32%)

Goh[41]

III-B

Neurosurgery

63 patients

Head injury patients with teleradiology

Fewer adverse events during transfer (6.4% vs. 32.1%)

Hersh et al. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 2001 1:5   doi:10.1186/1472-6947-1-5