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Deploying portable ultrasonography with remote assistance for isolated physicians in Africa: lessons from a pilot study in Mali |
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Published in | Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. 2010, vol. 160, no. Pt 1, p. 554-558 | |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate the feasibility of deploying portable ultrasonography with remote assistance to improve the diagnostic capabilities of isolated physicians in Africa. METHODS: The approach is based on the training of general practitioners for the use of ultrasonography, and the remote support by radiologists using dedicated tools for image transfer over low-bandwidth internet connections. RESULTS: Our early results in a pilot project in Mali show that this approach is feasible, and that isolated physicians can productively use ultrasonography to improve diagnosis and management decisions such as the need for a medical evacuation towards a reference hospital. CONCLUSION: These encouraging early results must be confirmed by larger-scale studies, in order to better understand the organizational requirements and demonstrate outcomes and return on investments for such telemedicine services. This scale-up project will start in 2010 in collaboration with the International Development Research Center of Canada. | |
Keywords | Mali — Pilot Projects — Remote Consultation/methods — *Rural Health Services — Teleradiology/*methods — Ultrasonography/*methods | |
Identifiers | PMID: 20841748 | |
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Research group | Groupe Geissbuhler Antoine (informatique médicale) (222) | |
Citation (ISO format) | BAGAYOKO, Cheikh-Oumar et al. Deploying portable ultrasonography with remote assistance for isolated physicians in Africa: lessons from a pilot study in Mali. In: Studies in health technology and informatics, 2010, vol. 160, n° Pt 1, p. 554-558. doi: 10.3233/978-1-60750-588-4-554 https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:20430 |