A Qualitative Analysis of General Emergency Medicine Providers' Perceptions on Pediatric Emergency Telemedicine

Objective Most children in the United States are evaluated in general emergency departments (ED), which are staffed by practitioners who care for both adults and children and may have limited pediatric resources. The application of telemedicine in pediatrics is growing and has been shown to be effective in outpatient as well as critical care settings. Telemedicine has the potential to address disparities in access to pediatric emergency care. The objective of this study was to explore experiences of general ED providers with telemedicine and their perception about a potential video telemedicine program with pediatric ED providers. Methods Using qualitative methods, a purposeful sample of general ED providers (attending physicians and physician assistants) in 3 Connecticut hospitals participated in audio-recorded semistructured interviews. In line with grounded theory, 3 researchers independently coded transcripts, collectively refined codes, and created themes. Data collection and analysis continued in an iterative manner, past the point of theoretical saturation. Results Eighteen general ED providers were interviewed. Three themes were identified: (a) familiarity with use in adult stroke patients but limited practical experience with telemedicine; (b) potential uses for pediatric telemedicine (guiding pediatric differential diagnosis and management, visual diagnosis, alleviating provider fears, low-frequency high-stakes events, determining disposition, assessing level of illness, and access to subspecialty consultation); and (c) limitations of telemedicine (infrequent need and implementation barriers). Conclusions General ED providers identified 7 specific potential uses of pediatric emergency video telemedicine. However, they also identified several limitations of telemedicine in caring for pediatric emergency patients. Further studies after implementation of telemedicine program and comparing provider perceptions with actual practice may be helpful. Furthermore, studies on telemedicine's effect on patient-related outcomes and studies on cost-effectiveness might be necessary before the widespread implementation of a telemedicine program.