Virtual Health presenters to expand service member care

Regional Health Command Europe (RHCE) along with LandstuhlRegional Medical Center (LRMC) hosted a Virtual Health Presenters Course forservice members and civilians from across the European region.

Virtual Health (VH) is the use of electronic information,imaging and communication technologies to provide and support healthcare whendistance separates the patient and the provider.

The semi-annual presenters training, which is targeted tonew VH presenters, provides an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of VH inaddition to hands-on training with the VH tools. A VH presenter is a caregiverwho facilitates the VH encounter between the patient and physician.

Ron Keen, RHCE VH Chief, said that as VH was growing acrossEurope, it was quickly realized that a dedicated presenter, located with thepatient, was the catalyst to help grow virtual health."These professionalsprepare prior to the encounter, ensuring all forms, labs, x-rays and/or EKG arecompleted," said Keen. "On the day of the appointment, the presenterchecks the patient in, completes vital signs and uses the tools available withthe virtual health cart to 'present' the patient to the provider."

The VH cart includes a monitor, which displays the providera camera, which captures the patient; and various peripheral devices whichinclude an otoscope, a high-definition examination camera and a stethoscopedevice. Combined, all of this equipment allows the provider to get a full examof a patient.

This iteration of the presenters course saw Air Force, Navyand Army representatives from Italy, Spain, England, Bahrain and Germany.

The presenters course also gave participants an opportunityto hear from the providers they could eventually work with, helping them tohave a better understanding of how they can support the provider in ensuringthe patient gets the care they need.

VH presenters work in a wide range of settings, includingaid stations, remote clinics and other fixed facilities where diverse specialtycare is unavailable. Through the Telehealth in a Bag program, the VH team isable to connect service members who are deployed in Poland to care elsewhere inEurope or back at their home station. Additionally, in-home VH has been usedthroughout Europe to connect patients to their provider from the comfort oftheir home through the web camera on their personal computer.

"Our soldiers need to be medically ready," Keensaid. "Virtual health is a force multiplier; it eliminates the need for soldiersto leave their duty station for multiple days and travel to LRMC or anotherclinic for what may only be a 20 -30 minute appointment."

Today, almost every medical and surgical specialty at LRMCis involved and using VH.