Telemedicine facilitating disaster response: study

Donna Cusano

While published in December 2010’s Journal of Medical Systems, this article could not be more timely with earthquakes first in New Zealand, then in Japan with a tsunami. The paper presents a telemedicine model to speed response; a clinical command center and an extended network of clinical experts. It does not quantitatively analyze health outcomes but outlines the benefits. Implementing Telemedicine in Medical Emergency Response: Concept of Operation for a Regional Telemedicine Hub, (abstract and PDF). HealthcareITNews goes a bit further and updates with ‘what if’s’ for Japan, which despite its ‘wiredness’ and heavy social media use in the aftermath fell short of supplying actual care to survivors via telemedicine.