Philips study shows benefits of telemedicine for critical care

Philips has announced data from a new study showing the financial benefits of using telemedicine as a means of facilitating critical care.

Research published in the Chest Journal has demonstrated the impact of Philips' remote Intensive Care Unit (eICU) programme on 118,990 critical care patients across 56 ICUs, 32 hospitals and 19 health systems over a five-year period.

It was revealed that the technology was associated with reductions in mortality and length of stay, meaning the provision of care was both more effective and more economical.

The eICU programme utilises bi-directional audio/video technology, population management tools, proprietary clinical decision support, real-time and retrospective reporting tools and targeted process redesign to enable around-the-clock care for critically ill patients.

Brian Rosenfeld, chief medical officer for Philips Healthcare's Hospital to Home division, said: "This study provides further evidence that health systems employing coordinated telehealth in their care models will increase provider productivity, while improving outcomes and reducing costs."

Last month, the firm attended the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting, where it demonstrated its fully digital Vereos PET/CT system and IQon spectral detector-based CT device.