Our Telemedicine Technologies

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing uses telecommunications of audio and video to bring people at different sites together for clinical consultations or encounters. 

Current video conferencing services offered at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC include: 

  • eIntensive Care Unit:  Remote consultation of pediatric patients located in critical care units located around the world by Children’s world-class intensivists, when complex critical care expertise is needed. Two critical care specialties have developed international programs based on specialized diagnoses:
    • consultations through rounding and “ad hoc” care management requests by intensivists from Children’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit 
    • consultations for transplant children for pre- and post-surgical procedures to improve clinical outcomes and coordination of care.

Read Our Original Research:

Tele-ED:  Remote consultation of pediatric patients located in community hospital emergency departments by Children’s critical care transport and emergency medicine physician specialists. This program offers two types of services determined by the presenting a child’s condition:
  • consultations by Children’s Emergency Department physicians for improved management of pediatric patients located in community emergency departments when the patient is likely to be discharged directly home from the community emergency department
  • pre-transport care management and appropriate identification of mode of transportation for pediatric patients that need to be transported to Children’s in an acute care setting

Store-and-Forward

Store-and-forward is a telecommunications technique in which information is sent to an intermediate station where it is kept and sent at a later time to the final destination or to another intermediate station.  E-mail, for example, is a store-and-forward technology. 

Current store-and-forward services provided by Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC include: 

Tele-Dermatology:  Remote consultation of patients presenting in communities in a variety of settings:  emergency departments, primary care offices, and inpatient floors. Using secure, web-based technology, referring physicians can provide a brief history and images of the dermatological condition and promptly receive care recommendations from Children's pediatric dermatologist.

Additional resources