Installation of Telemedicine On Airlines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) April 12, 2010 -- We are all aware of the terms, television, telephone and telecommunications. Now instantaneous interactive communication has flung medicine into a completely new realm, as airlines have started installing telemedicine machines onto their long-haul flights.

When there is no doctor on board, the Tempus IC (telemedicne device) can be operated by the cabin staff in an emergency, to collect the passenger’s vital signs and heart rate. These are passed, along with relevant photographs and video, directly to a telemedicine call centre.

A doctor who receives the information can put together a more thorough diagnosis and inform the captain of the aircraft better advice about whether a diversion is necessary or not. The crew are also advised on the best line of action to take, for the safety, comfort and care of the passenger.

Doctors will continue to be called upon to act as the Good Samaritan in-flight, but a doctor who does respond, may not have the appropriate training and will most certainly lack appropriate instruments. The benefit of equipment, that places a sick passenger in touch with a doctor who is trained in trauma medicine, who is familiar with the physiological effects of travel at 36,000 feet and who can see their vital signs, is quickly apparent.

Airlines may find it necessary to improve their communication systems in order to be able to make use of these machines, but an item such as the Tempus IC looks like becoming an absolutely essential part of any first-aid kit.

The Tempus IC provides three main advantages to its users: it increases the quality of care the passenger receives, it enables airlines to avoid unnecessary diversions and it reduces the chance of litigation, says Graham Murphy, the managing director of RDT. The airline can clearly show that it did all that was reasonably possible, since the machine records all the data it receives.

Only four hours of training is required before flight attendants are able to use the machine. Given the regularity of medical emergencies, and the machine’s ease of use, will permit a crew member to use it effectively for many months after training.
Richard Hill, Etihad Airways’ chief operations officer, said: “It will help to ensure that a passenger can receive the appropriate treatment when the aircraft lands, whether by diversion or at the final destination.”

The Tempus IC machine is already in use on ships and oil rigs and wherever urgent medical assistance is needed. It has been installed on Emirates, BMI Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia airlines.

This brand of medicine was first employed by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia in the early 1900s, when two-way radios were operated. The earliest interactive telemedicine system was developed in 1989.

About Installation of Telemedicine On Airlines
For more information:http://www.tropicpost.com/airlines-improve-inflight-health-care/
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health care on board airplanes     Telemedicine     Tempus IC