Table 4 Descriptions of Telestroke Technologies
Study Details | Communication Method | Portability, Resolution and Data Transfer Speed | Expertise and training Requirements | Person interpreting output | Location (on scene; stationary ambulance; in transit) | Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TeleBAT LaMonte et al. 2000 [26] Xiao et al. 2000 [27] | Unidirectional video and data transfer | Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: Low (VGA) Transmission speed: Slow (2G) | Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required | Remote physician | Stationary In transit | $20,000–$25,000 (~£14,000 - £17,000) in year 2000 + ‘operating cost of 4 cell phones’ |
‘peeq-box’ Bergrath et al. 2012 [28] | Bidirectional video and data transfer | Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: Low (VGA) Transmission speed: Slow to moderate (2G–3G) | Expertise: Other ambulance staff (EMS physicians) Training: required | Remote physician | Stationary In transit | Not reported |
Stroke Angel Ziegler et al. 2008 [29] Rashid et al. 2015 [30] | Clinical data transfer No audio or video | Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: N/A | Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required | EMS clinician | Stationary In transit | Not reported |
PreSSUB I Espinoza et al. 2016 [31] | Bidirectional video and data transfer | Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: High (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Fast (4G) | Expertise: Other ambulance staff (EMS nurses) Training: required | Remote physician | In transit | Not reported |
PreSSUB II Espinoza et al. 2015 [32] Brouns et al. 2016 [33] | Bidirectional video and data transfer | Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Moderate to fast (3G–4G) | Expertise: Other ambulance staff (EMS nurses) Training: required | Remote physician | In transit | Not reported |
InTouch Xpress Belt et al. 2016 [34] | Bidirectional video | Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: High (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Fast (4G) | Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required | Remote physician | In transit | ~$33,000 (~£27,000) in 2016: $23,000 (~£19,000) equipment + ~ $10,000 (~£8000) maintenance |
Smartphone with encrypted software Brotons et al. 2016 [35] | Bidirectional video (unclear if data transfer) | Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: Not reported Transmission speed: Not reported | Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: not reported | Remote physician | On scene Stationary | $2250 (~£1800) per unit in 2016 |
HipaaBridge Barrett et al. 2017 [36] | Bidirectional video | Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: High (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Fast (4G) | Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required | Remote physician | In transit | ~$600 (~£500) in 2017 |
iPad with video capability Shah et al. 2017 [37] | Bidirectional video | Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: Not reported Transmission speed: Not reported | Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required | Remote physician | Not reported | Not reported |
Field-Telestroke Andrefsky et al. 2018 [38] | Bidirectional video | Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: Not reported Transmission speed: Not reported | Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required | Remote physician | On scene In transit | Described as ‘Low cost’ |
REACHOUT project / HIPPA-compliant hand-held iPads Hackett et al. 2018 [39] | Bidirectional video | Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: Not reported Transmission speed: Not reported | Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: requirements were not reported | Remote physician | Not reported | Not reported |
Custom-built system Johansson et al. 2019 [40] | Bidirectional video | Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: High (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Moderate to fast (3G–4G) | Expertise: Other ambulance staff (EMS nurses) Training: required | Remote physician | Not reported | Not reported |