increased repeat users and improved patient satisfaction with the service . Further data from the pilot will be included in the poster .
7 . Tele-health as a Successful Strategy to Provide Asthma Education to Pediatric Patients in Rural Schools
Karen Burgess , MD , Nathan Culmer , PhD , Elizabeth Smith , CRNP
University of Alabama
Background : Asthma affects 12.3 % of children in Alabama , more than the 9.0 % national rate . Alabama is a doctor deficient state , especially in rural areas . Inadequate healthcare access is a barrier to asthma education . Telemedicine is an effective mechanism to address some medical problems when access to care is limited . Pediatric asthma creates additional burdens for asthmatic students and school staff . Improved self-management could translate into reduced symptoms , less academic performance interference and reduced utilization of school nurse staff . The University of Alabama received gift funding to provide pediatric asthma education for rural communities delivered by telemedicine . More is known about using telemedicine for individual management of pediatric asthmatic patients than using it for pediatric asthma education in a group setting . This study assesses the efficacy of this instructional modality by surveying individual participants ’ asthma knowledge before and after completing the curriculum .
Methods : Four synchronous asthma educational modules were delivered via tele-education to asthmatic students in elementary schools in rural Alabama . Children took quizzes about asthma before , immediately after , and when possible , two months after the presentations . Due to scheduling , only 27 % of students completed the third data collection . The test was evaluated for validity and revised for clarification . Scores that spanned both versions were standardized .
Results : Aggregate average scores improved 10.30 % between pre- and post-tests . In the subset of students in which all three scores ( pre- , post- , and delayed ) were collected , improvement between pre- and post-tests was 13.34 % and an additional 4.33 % improvement occurred between post-test and the delayed test representing an overall improvement of 17.67 %.
Conclusions : The educational intervention improved students ’ comprehension of their condition and selfmanagement . Administering asthma education via teleeducation to student groups at school is a successful strategy for improving asthma knowledge and self-management and may be especially useful to reach rural communities .
8 . A Telemedicine Intervention to Decrease Emergency Department Transfers among Senior Living Residents
Joseph Chan , MD 1 , Richard Newell , MD 2 , Lindsay Kriger 2 1 CEP MedAmerica , 2 CEP America
Background : Senior living communities are commonplace nationwide and provide an alternative to independent living for many Americans . Although it is common for senior living facilities to provide various amenities , most do not offer onsite access to physicians . In the event of an adverse health event , it is therefore common to transfer the resident to a local hospital emergency department ( ED ). This practice results in significant and often unnecessary expenditures . Telemedicine has the potential to improve health outcomes and reduce costs by connecting seniors to a physician , thereby avoiding unnecessary ED transfers .
Methods : A pilot study will run from May 2017 through May 2018 at La Costa Glen ( a senior independent living facility in California ). Residents consent to use telemedicine and have access via the residential services program already in place . EMTs can reach board-certified emergency physicians via video consult for non-emergent questions . These physicians are available on-demand , 24 / 7 , and have an average response time of less than 5 minutes . The program is running as a pilot study and is done at no cost to the patient , facility , or insurance provider . Data is collected from a short survey asking what the EMT would have done in the absence of telehealth – including options such as “ wait for next routine physician visit ” or “ transfer to ED .” Physician recommendation ( including disposition and treatment plan ) is also captured .
Results : To date ( June 2017 ), there have been 10 telehealth consults . Seven out of nine surveys completed by EMTs stated the patient would have been taken to the ED in the absence
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