Sao Paulo, BRAZIL, January 17, 2013 – The Telemedicine Program pilot project at Albert Einstein Israelita Hospital (HIAE) in Brazil uses Cisco mobile healthcare telepresence endpoints. The technology provides communication between the staffs of the intensive care unit and emergency room at Moyses Deutsch - M'Boi Mirim Municipal Hospital and the Telemedicine Center at Albert Einstein, both in São Paulo, to assist seriously ill patients if no specialists are available at the public unit or if a second opinion is required to provide a more extensive assessment.
HIAE is recognized in Latin America for pioneering the innovative use of technology. The pilot project has already resulted over 70 assessments being carried out at the municipal hospital's emergency room and ICU since May 2012. Cases are assessed in real time by the HIAE staff, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
With high-definition images and sound, Cisco mobile healthcare telepresence endpoints were specially developed for a range of medical uses, including remote consults, virtual care and medical education. The solution is also able to share content, make recordings, act as a firewall and provide management features.
Dr. Milton Steinman, one of the project leaders at HIAE, said that one of the advantages of telemedicine is the ability to cut time and costs, as real time, remote assessment reduces the need to transfer patients to other hospitals. "One of the great virtues of telemedicine is that it transfers knowledge live and online among medical professionals."
There are many possible telemedicine applications. Heitor Gottberg, executive manager for healthcare at Cisco Brazil, said the HIAE project reinforces the importance of technology in medical environments. "Telemedicine that offers high quality transmission is a tool that allows us to increase our ability to resolve issues at the contact point closest to the patient. And the Albert Einstein Hospital project at M'Boi Mirim proves this."
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