Assisting the transition from hospital to home for children with major congenital heart disease by telemedicine: A feasibility study and initial results

Abstract

Parents of children hospitalized with major congenital heart disease often state that the weeks following discharge from hospital are particularly difficult. There is a sudden change from 24-h medical supervision and care to outpatient reviews. Videoconferencing not only gives the family an opportunity to have visual and audio contact with staff but also allows clinicians to visually assess the patient. We have investigated the feasibility of using videoconferencing to provide support for families at home. We also report the early results of a randomized control trial comparing videoconference support with regular telephone support and the current clinic review follow-up.

Taking care of their baby at home but with nursing staff as support: The use of videoconferencing in providing neonatal support to parents of preterm infants

“…As the homecoming with the preterm infant is experienced as stressful, parents want to have someone whom they can contact with questions and problems (Herbst and Maree, 2006); there is a great need of getting in touch with staff with specialist skills (Sandberg and Sjöqvist, 2000). A study (McCrossan et al, 2007) about using videoconferencing for children with major congenital heart disease and their family in transition from hospital to home, have similarities with the present study, as taking the child home is experienced as very stressful and a source of great anxiety. The videoconference was rated as beneficial 96% of the time, compared to telephone consultations which were found to be beneficial 65% of the time.…”

Questions asked and answered in pilot and feasibility randomized controlled trials

“…In four titles [32,41,45,46] the word 'feasibility' described the trial: in the other four [30,38,42,43] it described the intervention. Over half of the trials, (28, 56%, CI 41% to 70%) evaluated drugs.…”

The Use of Telemedicine in Pediatric Psychology: Research Review and Current Applications

“…McCrossan and colleagues [7] evaluated the feasibility of a telemedicine intervention to provide support for families with children diagnosed with congenital heart disease following the transition from hospital to home. Sixty-six children ages 1 month to 3 years participated in the evaluation, and results suggested the certain videoconferencing connections (i.e., Integrated Services Digital Network [ISDN] 6 and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line [ADSL]) were more effective and feasible for quality service than connections over cable modems or PTSN systems.…”