Intelligent Health.tech Issue 20 | Page 12

HEALTHTECH PROJECT ROLLED OUT TO HELP PATIENTS IN SCOTLAND AVOID UNNECESSARY TRIPS TO A & E

NEWS

HEALTHTECH PROJECT ROLLED OUT TO HELP PATIENTS IN SCOTLAND AVOID UNNECESSARY TRIPS TO A & E

Technology from telemedicine provider Consultant Connect has been rolled out across Lanarkshire to help patients with non-life-threatening conditions avoid unnecessary A & E admissions .

This HealthTech connects Scottish Ambulance Service ( SAS ) paramedics in the Lanarkshire area with local A & E consultants via the ‘ Call Before Convey ’ pathway within four seconds . The tech has been rolled out to help paramedics who need rapid specialist advice when seeing patients with non-life-threatening conditions . This often results in patients being directed to the most suitable place , such as specific units or providing self-care advice that allows them to bypass A & E departments altogether . ensures a patient ’ s condition is considered holistically and they get given the right care first time .
During a three day pilot programme , 74 calls were placed and answered in an average of just three seconds . This led to four in five patients avoiding unnecessary A & E admissions . Out of these patients , 60 % were cared for in the community , meaning they did not need to be conveyed to hospital .
Following the success of the pilot , Consultant Connect ’ s technology has been adopted as routine practice for the pathway across NHS Lanarkshire and more than 1,500 calls have already been made , with 65 % avoiding an unnecessary A & E admission .
A & E consultants can also use the Consultant Connect App to get advice from consultants in other specialties . This

HEALTHTECH INNOVATOR SET TO ACHIEVE US MILESTONE WITH ITS REVOLUTIONARY RETINAL SOLUTIONS

Remidio , a health technology innovator developing cuttingedge technology to combat global blindness from Diabetic Retinopathy , Glaucoma , AMD and Cataracts , is all set to achieve a significant milestone .

This quarter , Remidio , is excited to be placing its 1,000th FOP-NM handheld fundus camera in the hands of US healthcare providers . Since 2019 , these devices have been supporting diabetic retinopathy screening activities of over 3,500 high volume healthcare providers in the US .
Remidio ' s FOP-NM is the world ' s first smartphone-based non-mydriatic fundus camera , eliminating the need for patient dilation and is rapidly revolutionising retinal examinations in the US ; both within clinic settings and beyond , with equal impact .
The FOP-NM is an easy to use , easy to train retinal camera that provides excellent image quality empowering medical specialists and non-specialists ( nurses or any healthcare personnel ) to conduct retinal exams anywhere : in the clinic , home , in emergency rooms or remote rural healthcare centres .
The portability of the device has also found widespread acceptance from university health systems as well , such as the University of Virginia , and several others .
University of Virginia ' s Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology , Dr Arjun Dirghangi , said : " Remidio ' s FOP-NM is easier to use , easy to train on . We have gotten good images , even from trainees who have never used the system before , within 30 seconds to two minutes per eye . My goal at the end of the day is to improve access to screening . And this is certainly one of the more powerful tools that I have seen to be able to do that ." �
12 www . intelligenthealth . tech