Experience of a TelEmergency program in Colombia South America: descriptive observational study between 2019 and 2021
Dublin Core
Title
Experience of a TelEmergency program in Colombia South America: descriptive observational study between 2019 and 2021
Subject
Telemedicine ER, TelEmergency, Emergency Care, Colombia
Description
Introduction Colombia has 50,912,429 inhabitants, but only 50–70% of the population can efectively access health
care services. The emergency room (ER) is a main contributor to the in-hospital care system since up to half of the
admissions come through it. Telemedicine has become a tool to facilitate efective access to health care services,
improve the timeliness of care, reduce diagnostic variability, and reduce costs associated with health. The aim of this
study is to describe the experience of a Distance Emergency Care Program through Telemedicine (TelEmergency)
to improve specialist access for patients at the Emergency Room (ER) in low- and medium-level care hospitals in
Colombia.
Methods An observational descriptive study of a cohort including 1,544 patients during the program’s frst two years
was conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the available data. The data are presented with summa‑
rized statistics of sociodemographic, clinical, and patient-care variables.
Results The study included a total of 1,544 patients, and the majority were adults between 60 and 79 years of age
(n=491, 32%). More than half were men (n=832, 54%), and 68% (n=1,057) belonged to the contributory health care
regime. The service was requested from 346 municipalities, 70% (n=1,076) from intermediate and rural settings. The
most common diagnoses were related to COVID-19 (n=356, 22%), respiratory diseases (n=217, 14%), and cardiovas‑
cular diseases (n=162, 10%). We observed 44% (n=681) of local admissions either under observation (n=53, 3%) or
hospitalization (n=380, 24%), limiting the need for hospital transfers.
Program operation data revealed that 50% (n=799) of requests were answered within two hours by the medical staf.
The initial diagnosis was modifed in 7% (n=119) of the patients after being evaluated by specialists at the TelEmer‑
gency program.
Conclusions This study shows the operational data collected during the frst two years after the implementation
of the TelEmergency program in Colombia, the frst of its kind in the country. Its implementation ofered specialized
timely management of patients at the ER in low- and medium-level care hospitals, where there is no availability of
specialized doctors.
care services. The emergency room (ER) is a main contributor to the in-hospital care system since up to half of the
admissions come through it. Telemedicine has become a tool to facilitate efective access to health care services,
improve the timeliness of care, reduce diagnostic variability, and reduce costs associated with health. The aim of this
study is to describe the experience of a Distance Emergency Care Program through Telemedicine (TelEmergency)
to improve specialist access for patients at the Emergency Room (ER) in low- and medium-level care hospitals in
Colombia.
Methods An observational descriptive study of a cohort including 1,544 patients during the program’s frst two years
was conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the available data. The data are presented with summa‑
rized statistics of sociodemographic, clinical, and patient-care variables.
Results The study included a total of 1,544 patients, and the majority were adults between 60 and 79 years of age
(n=491, 32%). More than half were men (n=832, 54%), and 68% (n=1,057) belonged to the contributory health care
regime. The service was requested from 346 municipalities, 70% (n=1,076) from intermediate and rural settings. The
most common diagnoses were related to COVID-19 (n=356, 22%), respiratory diseases (n=217, 14%), and cardiovas‑
cular diseases (n=162, 10%). We observed 44% (n=681) of local admissions either under observation (n=53, 3%) or
hospitalization (n=380, 24%), limiting the need for hospital transfers.
Program operation data revealed that 50% (n=799) of requests were answered within two hours by the medical staf.
The initial diagnosis was modifed in 7% (n=119) of the patients after being evaluated by specialists at the TelEmer‑
gency program.
Conclusions This study shows the operational data collected during the frst two years after the implementation
of the TelEmergency program in Colombia, the frst of its kind in the country. Its implementation ofered specialized
timely management of patients at the ER in low- and medium-level care hospitals, where there is no availability of
specialized doctors.
Creator
Carlos E. Vallejo‑Bocanumen , Daniel Pérez‑Martínez , Diana Carolina Quiceno‑Salazar, Yésica Paola Mejía‑Gonzalez , Juan F. García‑Cano and Diana C. Martínez‑Pérez
Publisher
BMC Emergency Medicine
Date
(2023) 23:75
Contributor
Fajar Bagus W
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Text
Files
Collection
Citation
Carlos E. Vallejo‑Bocanumen , Daniel Pérez‑Martínez , Diana Carolina Quiceno‑Salazar, Yésica Paola Mejía‑Gonzalez , Juan F. García‑Cano and Diana C. Martínez‑Pérez, “Experience of a TelEmergency program in Colombia South America: descriptive observational study between 2019 and 2021,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed April 15, 2025, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/4382.