Telemedicine Is Wide-Reaching But Doesn’t Always Replace Doctor’s Touch

(By Elaine Korry for California Healthline)

Two years ago, Kimberly Griffiths’ week-old daughter, Avery, suddenly became very ill. “She was turning blue and had very labored breathing,” said Griffiths, who rushed her child to the ER in rural Sonora, Calif.

Doctors there were stumped, and the nearest pediatric specialist was 100 miles away in Sacramento.

Fortunately for Avery, the ER doctors were able to make a two-way, online video connection to consult with a UC-Davis neonatologist, who viewed high-resolution images of the infant and her vital-signs monitor. The specialist suspected a congenital heart condition and prescribed a drug that stabilized her breathing. Continue reading article here…

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.”

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit national health policy news service that is part of the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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