12-lead ECG TeleMedicine
with immediate interpretation
Issues of current practice
Compare what happens when a patient presents with current or recent chest pain in either a medical facility that simply referrs the patient to hospital for an ECG, or a medical facility that uses a conventional ECG machine with in‑house telemedical interpretation
Simple referral to hospital for an ECG
Issues of immediate referral
Inappropriate referrals lead to higher than necessary numbers of patients in acute care
Patients have to wait for an appointment, and have to travel to acute centre or hospital
In-house ECG interpretation
Issues of immediate ECG interpretation
Practice may not have an ECG machine
Practice may not have a member of staff skilled in interpreting ECGs
Conclusion
Developing a more proactive and preventative model of care in a primary care setting would ease some of the financial and operational pressures placed upon acute care providers.
Diagnosing and addressing any problems at an earlier stage means patients receive more timely and preventative support, which may reduce the need for hospitalisation. This not only benefits patients from a clinical point of view but also frees up resources in secondary care allowing NHS resources to be reallocated to other key areas.
Proposed solution
Provision of 24 hour expert ECG interpretation, via the telephone. The lightweight and portable 12 Lead ECG has 10 leads attached to disposable electrodes and placed in the same positions as a conventional ECG machine. The unit can transmit through any (land line) telephone directly to the call centre. GPs receive an immediate verbal evaluation and a full report is sent to them by e-mail or fax, within a few minutes.