Another Application for Telemedicine: Adolescent Concussions

Add adolescent concussion to the growing list of conditions for which telemedicine can be useful, in terms of effectiveness, cost, and satisfaction scores, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Researchers employed a nurse practitioner-led, remote assessment of young athletes (13–18 years of age) with concussions, in conjunction with in-person athletic trainers. The most common positive feedback involved the accessibility of the program from any location, notably urban areas where parents might have trouble getting their children to a physician in a reasonable amount of time, and the cost and time saved for both the patient and the provider. The model also helped children return to school more quickly. (For more on management of young athletes with concussion specifically in the urgent care setting, read Concussion in the Urgent Care Center: From the Sideline to Your Bottom Line, available in the JUCM archive.)