Impact of Intensive Care Unit Telemedicine on Outcomes

Intensive care unit (ICU) telemedicine lowers mortality, shortens length of stay and improves best practice compliance when implemented effectively. As a review of the literature shows, program success is not guaranteed. The model of ICU telemedicine with published results is the one designed to leverage an intensivist-led remote critical care team, assisted by technology, data streaming, and analytics. The value of ICU telemedicine lies in how well the model is applied, leveraged, and integrated into the existing staff, structure, and processes at the bedside. Key domains to master to achieve this integration are discussed.