Telemedicine and Teletrauma

Televised links with medical specialists

In days gone by, it was often necessary for rural residents to travel hundreds of miles to see a top medical specialist. Now, through two-way television and telephone communication, patients and medical personnel at Tri Valley Health System can see and hear specialists' immediate response to health care concerns.

How it works.

The service is called Telemedicine. A special room has been set up in the Outpatient Clinic at Cambridge Hospital containing a television camera and screen. Real-time pictures of patients and medical personnel in Cambridge – in addition to pertinent medical data – are transmitted to medical centers around the country. The center, in return, beams back pictures of the specialist, counselor or other medical personnel.

The TVHS system also includes Teletrauma, which connects the Emergency Room at Cambridge Memorial Hospital to the Emergency Room at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.

"Telemedicine serves our patients and our staff very well," says Jim Jackson, the Laboratory Supervisor at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. "it is used extensively for staff training and educational programs on a variety of subjects."

For more information about Telemedicine, contact Jim Jackson at (308) 697-3329.