Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service tests telemedicine system that uses head-mounted cameras
ROCHESTER — Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service is testing out a new telemedicine system in its ambulances that lets a doctor at the hospital see what's happening through the paramedic's point of view — because the paramedic is wearing a camera on their head.
Right now, two ambulances are outfitted with the new technology from OPTAC-X, a Florida-based start-up. With the camera headset and a satellite terminal mounted on the ambulance's roof, paramedics and EMTs in the field can communicate with an emergency medicine physician using high-resolution video transmitted via WiFi.
"We've been using this as part of a pilot study to see how it's feasible, how well it works, is it valuable to the paramedics," said Dr. Aaron Klassen, an emergency medicine physician and medical director for Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service.
During this trial phase, paramedics who have been trained on the system can use their judgment on whether to start a video call during calls for service around the Rochester area.
Mayo Clinic's ambulances already have telemedicine systems in them, and EMS staff have long been able to communicate with ED doctors via radio or phone, said Kate Arms, a paramedic and operations manager at Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service in Rochester. But the OPTAC-X option comes with multiple benefits, she said.
"We really have to be in our ambulances for our regular telemedicine devices to work," Arms said. "The OPTAC-X option, because it works on the satellite (terminal) that is mounted on top of our ambulance, gives us a much better range of connectivity. So, I can be in someone's house or in someone's apartment building, inside a business, and the headset still connects."
At the hospital, the doctor also has some flexibility for where they take the call.
"I've done this from our telemedicine offices in Saint Marys," Klassen said, "but it can also be done ... with our cell phone when we're out and about and available."
The satellite connection is also beneficial in areas where cell phone service is spotty.
Historically, Mayo Clinic Ambulance has used its existing telemedicine technology — hosted on laptops — for less acute patients, like those who may not need to go to the hospital, Arms said, or those who do need to go, but are refusing.
"They can have that face-to-face conversation with a physician of understanding all the risks and consequences of not going to the emergency department," Arms said.
With the live video feed from the paramedic's perspective, Arms said the OPTAC-X system can also be used in high-stress, emergent situations when it could be difficult for a paramedic to simultaneously work on the patient and relay information over the phone or radio.
"It really is a special skill that not all of us are honed in on — painting the picture very clearly of what we're doing and what we want," Arms said. "That can be really time-consuming, if you're not a clear communicator, or even if you are a clear communicator, but the stress is really high."
Klassen, Arms and their colleagues recently published a case report in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health detailing one call in which EMS providers used the technology. That case involved a 65-year-old patient whose heart stopped. Family members performed CPR on her, and when first responders arrived, they connected with a hospital physician via the OPTAC-X telemedicine system.
"We were able to communicate the details of the event much more easily because the visuals were right there for the physician," Klassen said. "Instead of several minutes of taking time, trying to understand what's even happening ... (the physician) can take in that information more quickly, and then can help contribute to the clinical decision-making for that patient."
In that case report, the EMS responders were able to restart the patient's heart and transport her to the emergency department at Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys.
As Mayo Clinic continues testing the telemedicine system, Klassen said they will be tweaking things to better suit emergency responders' needs before installing the technology in more ambulances.
"We're probably going to have to do some more redesign before we look for the next phase, which hopefully could be a bit of a larger pilot, and it maybe (will) involve more sites around Minnesota and Wisconsin," Klassen said.
At this stage, the use of an OPTAC-X telemedicine connection during a call does not impact how the patient is billed for services, Klassen said.
