TELEMEDICINE
As we know telemedicine is the use of latest telecommunications Technologies to provide enhance and expedite health care services, by accessing off-site databases, linking clinics or physicians' offices to advanced central hospitals and transmitting x-rays or other diagnostic images for examination at another site.
At Mtendere Hospital the telemedicine is a reality.
The physicians in Chirundu are linked with a consortium of experts in
advanced
medical institutions around the world for the purpose of consultation,
diagnosis, and treatment. Patient histories, laboratory findings, x-rays,
and other components of the medical records can be transmitted in a timely
fashion with the use of the internet. Through this advanced technology,
expert opinions from leading specialists around the world can be obtained
within hours or even minutes. The wide and unlimited applications of the
telemedicine is offering the clinicians working at Mtendere a valuable new
tools to support the medical management of patients.
In emergency cases, this access can mean the difference between life and death. In particular, in those cases where fast medical response time and specialty care are needed, telemedicine availability can be critical.
The telemedicine is also a very useful method for providing ongoing training and updating of the know-how of the medical personnel working at Mtendere Hospital.
The major sponsor making telemedicine possible at Mtendere Hospital is "Elmec Informatica", a Italian Company since 30 years in information technology world marketplace that assures free of charge services to keep updated and performant the network system at Mtendere Hospital.
The telemedicine at Mtendere has different branches of application already implemented:
1) The telepathology where specialist Anatomical
Pathologists read remotely the slides of cytologic or hystologic preparation like PAP smear, FNAB or Biopsy through the internet. The slides after being prepared in our laboratory are inserted into the “coolscope” , a Nikon computerized microscope accessible through the internet. A specialist is able to examine the sample in his remote office and send us a qualified result in a short time.
This facility is available thanks to the Italian association "Patologi oltre Frontiera"
2) The telecardiology where specialists in cardiology are able to read remotely ECG registered at Mtendere and give us diagnosis as well as therapeutical advises in a very short time.
3) the teleconsultation where specialists in different medical branches are available remotely whenever a second opinion is requested.This service is possible thanks to the IPOCM Project suported by the the Association “Alleanza degli Ospedali Italiani nel Mondo ” constituted by the Italian Minister of Health, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Minister of Education, University and Research, the Italian Minister of the Italians in the World and the Italian Minister of Innovation and Technologies. The IPOCM Project (Integration and Promotion of Italian Hospitals and Health Care Centres Worldwide) promotes the quality improvement of health care delivery through the supply of teleconsultation and e-learning services to doctors, health personnel and eventually, to the local populations.