Mobile Workstations And Telehealth Improve Rural Stroke Care

For stroke victims, every minute counts. Yet when a stroke victim in a rural area arrives at the local hospital, the help they need may still be far away.

To improve stroke care in rural areas, hospitals in eight states have adopted telehealth solutions by REACH Call, which are integrated with Metro's Flo Series mobile computing workstations, to help specialists quickly diagnose and treat stroke victims—even though the consulting neurologist may be several hundred miles away. Using REACH Call's web-based system, the neurologist can access streaming video to visually assess the patient along with vitals and labs, CT scans, real-time updates and more.

REACH Call's turnkey system uses a "hub-and- spoke" model. The hub is typically a primary stroke center in a larger city. The spoke hospitals use a mobile computing workstation from Metro, equipped with a laptop computer, video camera and other technology, to communicate with the physician at the hub hospital.

The REACH system is in 90 hospitals across eight states from Florida to Alaska, and has been used to deliver over 1,000 remote consults. The system has improved access to care and quality of care for many patients, and by supporting earlier diagnosis and treatment, has helped reduce health care costs associated with complications from stroke.

Access this case study to read this article in its entirety.