Remote support ultrasound: image transmission and quality study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Remote support ultrasound for rural medical emergencies: an image transmission and quality study with healthy volunteers
IRAS ID
156022
Contact name
Leila Eadie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Aberdeen
Research summary
Responding to rural patients in time-critical medical emergencies can be challenging; it can take time for an ambulance to arrive; there are relatively few ambulances available and rural road networks are poor and at risk of closure due to inclement weather. In addition, communication networks are fragile, with limited (if any) mobile phone connectivity.
We are collaborating with a company (Tactical Wireless, UK) which has manufactured a communications system called an Omni-Hub. This ’grabs’ all the connectivity available at a particular location, including 2G/3G/4G, wi-fi and satellite, and aggregates it, eg by adding the cellular signals from more than one provider together, or by adding satellite to cellular to increase the amount of data that can be sent. The Omni-Hub could be employed in rural pre-hospital care, delivering connectivity in locations where it was previously insufficient. This may range from making simple telephone calls to the real-time transmission of high-quality medical data.
We are using the Omni-Hub to transmit high-quality medical images, specifically those generated by ultrasound because it is a cheap and portable imaging type. Ultrasound is used to assess various trauma-related conditions and screening in the chest. However, it is not always possible for the operator to be an ultrasound expert, eg an ambulance paramedic may be the most qualified person available, particularly in traditionally resource-poor remote and rural areas, so it may be beneficial to offer expert remote support using telemedicine.
Previous studies sending ultrasound from remote and rural areas were mostly not conducted in real-time, nor in the geography unique to the Highlands of Scotland, nor with relevant cellular network coverage. Hence, the aim of this study is to explore the ability to acquire and wirelessly transmit ultrasound images from the Highlands of Scotland to a remote expert using the Omni-Hub.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
14/NS/0087
Date of REC Opinion
15 May 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion