Ioonos

Teleconsultation

What can an astronaut in space do in the event a medical emergency? Or a sailor at sea? Thanks to telecommunication satellites, they can talk to a doctor and send data enabling a diagnosis. Of course, a teleconsultation requires some equipment!
 By equipping remote sites on earth and mobile sites (in flight or at sea), teleconsultation can enable medical care for a wide range of people. Telemedicine can also be used to help emergency teams deployed at the site of a disaster.

Remote medical expertise

Teleconsultation also has many applications in emergencies, the treatment of patients and dialogue between remote doctors (several specialists can “see” the same patient without having to travel). Example: a person injured in a road accident is taken to the nearest hospital with cranial trauma. The hospital has a scanner but not the resources to operate. With telemedicine a scanner image is sent to a neuroradiologist and, in this case, as in many others, it may be established that an operation is not necessary. So there is no need to disturb the patient by moving them again!

The mobile telemedicine station

The French space agency, CNES*, has encouraged the development of a strange-looking gadget, which may prove to be very useful: the mobile telemedicine station. This large suitcase (equipped with a digital camera, computer, GPS, automatic blood pressure armband, glycaemia tests, etc.) could solve the issue of teleconsultation equipment and access; it is currently being tested in Guiana before being considered for wider use.