Digital health Telestroke units – remote joint management of strokes
Many rural areas have a shortage of permanently available specialists such as neurologists in hospitals. This article explains how telemedicine improves the care of stroke patients in rural areas.
At a glance
- Long travel times and a shortage of specialists present obstacles to the care of stroke patients in sparsely populated areas.
- Stroke specialists use telemedicine to support local doctors in the diagnosis and treatment of strokes.
- Establishing a telemedical network with stroke units in larger hospitals allows smaller hospitals to provide high-level care for their stroke patients.
- Patients are then only transported to distant hospitals if treatment requires a major intervention.
How does telemedicine provide support for stroke patients?
A stroke is a medical emergency in which rapid diagnosis and treatment are particularly decisive with regard to how the condition will progress. To ensure that stroke patients receive the best possible medical care, many larger hospitals therefore have a specialized stroke unit. Such stroke units have highly qualified teams of doctors and nurses as well as special diagnosis and treatment options.
However, rural regions in particular have a shortage of specialized stroke units in hospitals. Smaller regional hospitals cannot guarantee special care for stroke patients round the clock. However, telemedicine can be used to improve care for stroke patients.
At present, many regional hospitals that do not have a permanent neurologist on-site are now digitally connected to larger specialized clinics. This enables cooperation with the stroke unit in the larger hospital. This means that stroke patients can receive the treatment they need in regional hospitals thanks to telemedicine. In Germany, almost one in ten stroke patients are already treated using telemedicine.
What is a telestroke unit?
A telestroke unit provides remote support for the medical care of stroke patients. The medical experts from large hospitals with a stroke unit are available 24 hours a day. Thanks to their support, even hospitals without a stroke unit or on-site neurologist can ensure the provision of a high level of stroke care. Germany now has over 20 telemedical networks, involving over 200 hospitals/clinics.
How do telestroke units work?
The neurological experts working in a telestroke unit use digital media to advise and support doctors who are treating stroke patients on-site in remote locations. This allows experts to both examine and treat the patients.
For example, with the support of the on-site doctor, they can use a remote-controlled, high-resolution camera to perform examinations remotely. This makes it possible to jointly determine and initiate the best form of treatment. This often eliminates the need for transportation to a more distant hospital with a stroke unit.
In some cases, however, transportation to a larger hospital is still necessary, for example for special interventions.
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neuroradiologie e. V. Thrombektomie beim Schlaganfall: Schnellste Transporte und Netzwerkbildung erforderlich. Aufgerufen am 25.06.2024.
- Deutsche Schlaganfall-Gesellschaft. Telemedizinische Schlaganfallversorgung: Warum besonders Patienten in ländlichen Regionen profitieren. Aufgerufen am 25.06.2024.
- Hubert G., Handschu R., Barlinn J., Berrouschot J., Audebert H. J. Telemedizin beim akuten Schlaganfall. Aktuelle Neurologie 2016; 43(10): 615-623.
- Stiftung Deutsche Schlaganfall-Hilfe. Stroke Unit - Was ist das? Aufgerufen am 25.06.2024.
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