remote hiv/aids consultations in resource-limited settings maria zolfo institute of tropical...
TRANSCRIPT
Remote HIV/AIDS consultations in resource-limited settings
Maria ZolfoInstitute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp,
Belgium
BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND
Telemedicine is a way to deliver health care in remote areas
E-mails have been used for years as a low cost telemedicine support for colleagues working in low resource settings, by the Institute of Tropical
Medicine, Antwerp (ITMA)
BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND
In 2003 the ITMA set up a computer aided training project to guide doctors in the implementation of antiretrovirals (ARVs) and AIDS care in developing countries
AIMS (I)AIMS (I)
To facilitate the introduction of high-quality ARV care for HIV/AIDS patients, living in resource limited settings by providing adequate technical support for ARVs and management of opportunistic infections (OIs), to clinician from the South
AIMS (II)AIMS (II) To provide continuous medical
education in the field of HIV/AIDS for doctors following Short Course on Antiretroviral Therapy (SCART), through a discussion forum on a medical web site, supporting and guiding medical decision making and management of difficult clinical cases
Method of working
Expert advice from HIV/AIDS specialists is offered to colleagues in the field through a discussion forum on http://telemedicine.itg.be
Initial partners in the field:
Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope, Phom Penh, Cambodia
Central Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda
Institute of Tropical Medicine Alexander Von Humboldt, Lima, Peru
MSF-Belgium projects in South East Asia
Receiving cases/questions:
Receiving cases/questions:
Web interface
Receiving cases/questions:
Web interface
E-mail (alerts)
Receiving cases/questions:
Web interface
E-mail (alerts)
1st year activity
2nd year evaluation
257/342 clinical cases
85/342 open questions
ARV
OIs Δ & Rx
Main topics
24/342
166/342
152/342
OIs Δ & Rx
ARV general use
ARV & TB
ARV side effects
ARV resistance
ARV with OIs
ARV in PMTCT
IRIS
Main topics
24/342
152/342
166/342
2nd year evaluation details
ARVs details
ARVs oriented questions
18
41
35
6
12
7
47ARVs general use
ARVs & TB
ARVs side effects
ARVs resistance
ARVs with OIs
ARVs in PMTCT
IRIS
What is iPath
iPath - an open source software to build telemedicine platforms. Developed at University of Basel
ipath.ch - an association to promote telemedicine and to support projects in developing countries
User Interface Group Display
- case list
Case Display
- Description & Images
User Interface
- Comments/Diagnosis
New comments: automatic email alert
General perception from the fieldGeneral perception from the field
E-mail/discussion forum support is considered important for:
patient management increased knowledge of medical staff avoiding referrals access to medical literature
SURVEY
• Off line function for posting !
• A hybrid web and email solution!
