Telemedicine in prisons, an example of rentability

One of my good friends in all his talks about telemedicine, he said "Telemedicine is not a luxury, it is a need and sometimes an obligation".

Doc. Claudio Pelaez is a great defender of telemedicine and during ten years, he was the Regional Coordinator of Telemedicine Program in Extremadura. He has developed telemedicine,  all than he could or have allowed him. This telemedicine program began in 2002 with first pilot program and Claudio Pelaez and all his team have developed and configured a work protocol and they have won experience, they have created a new medical model based in telemedicine with a satisfaction rates above to 90%.

If you want know it, please you can click in this link, for watch a film about telemedicine in Extremadura broadcasted by Canal Extremadura.

One of the bets more interesting about telemedicine in Extremadura was to bring telemedicine systems to prisons and to allow to them access to medical services across the technology.

In US, Texas Deparment of Criminal Justice and University of Texas Medical Branch in 1994, they began a telemedicine program in prisons, in these twenty years they have done 354.000 teleconsults and they have saved around 1.215$ billion until 2010, with teleconsults, EMRs, Teletraining program.

It is a clear example where We can to obtain economical rentability with investments in technology and new process.

HOPE Exchange Programme visit telemedicine network in Extremadura.

For the second consecutive year, Extremadura is a stop of HOPE Programme over spanish territory. During May 21th and 22th at Badajoz, the participants in HOPE programme from Portugal and Letonia, have made in Extremadura a scale to know the most interesting aspects of telemedicine network of the SES.

The conferences have been given by Dr. Claudio Pelaez Vega, Regional Coordinator of Telemedicine in Extremadura and technicians of ViTelNet Europe, company  responsible for installing, establishing and maintenance of telemedicine stations. They have shown to participants in this programme the qualities and benefits of telemedicine in Extremadura.

The conferences were in Perpetuo Socorro Hospital at Badajoz and at May 22th, the participants did a visit to Health Center of alburquerque, where they could to know the retinography that SES is using in its telemedicine programme of diabetic retinopathy.

Telemedicine Course in Perpetuo Socorro Hospital at Badajoz.

May 15 and 16th, In Perpetuo Socorro Hospital at Badajoz, the  Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud in Extremadura, has did a telemedicine course titled Telemedicine Course for Primary healthcare and Speciality healthcare about telemedicine and its use in Extremadura.

SES has bet by telemedicine since 2002, when its telemedicine pilot
program was a success, and they decided to investment in telemedicine for the future. Today in Extremadura there are 47 telemedicine stations, around all its territory in 30 Health Centers, 13 Hospitals, 2 Prisons, 1 Old People Center and 1 Teenage Center. In all this time, ViTelNet and its section in Spain ViTelNet Europe have helped in maintenance this telemedicine network, and broadcast the benefits of a good telemedicine network.

From Blogtelemedicina encourage to the SES will continue on this path, develop a more widespread use and broadcast the benefits that telemedicine is bringing in Extremadura.

Telemedicine in Nanclares Prison

A new telemedicine program with dermatology and traumatology consults between Nanclares Prison and Txagorritxu Hospital by videoconference, begin in the Prison of Nanclares de Oca. In prison there is a medical team 24 hours, they do 18.000 medical consults and 8.300 nursery operations per year, only there are 1.198 specialist consults in Hospital. With this new telemedicine program they want to delete these 1.198 visits to Specialist in Hospital.

Very similar telemedicine program work in Extremadura since 2007 between Badajoz Prison and Caceres Prison with their respectives reference hospitals in Badajoz or Caceres, this program began thanks to one contract signed by Instituciones Penitenciarias and Servicio Extremeño de Salud.

Telemedicine in prisons in others countries

Very interesting article sent by Unesco Telemedicine, about the experiencies of telemedicine in prisons in countries as United Kingdom and USA.

In United Kingdom have a telemedicine project that it provides emergencies services and specialist consults to eight prisons in all british landscape.

In the USA have a telemedicine program in Maine State. Where they have developed a telemedicine network with Polycom systems with some hospitals, health centers, prisons and health and humanity services in all Maine State.

It is very important to check the experiences that various countries are developing in the field of telemedicine, step by step is becoming in one very used technology in various sectors. And as you can see the great benefits of this technology are the high degree of satisfaction of users and medical professionals, reducing transportation costs and reducing long journeys for patients.

Click here if you want to read the original article(article in english)

Sent by Unesco Telemedicine