Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MT. PLEASANT, Sanpete County — Intermountain Healthcare is rolling out a new system to take the doctor to the patient.
It’s called telemedicine.
In a rural hospital such as Sanpete Valley in Mt. Pleasant, there may not be a doctor available when a new baby is in distress. This new system allows a specialist at a hospital in the city to give advice and even help in real time with the resuscitation.
During a simulation Friday, medical staff at Sanpete Valley Hospital trained with a new two-way video system that allows a neonatologist at Utah Valley Hospital to give guidance to those caring for an infant.
Dr. Stephen Minton, a neonatologist at Utah Valley Hospital, could see the baby from his office in Provo, and the nurses in Mt. Pleasant could hear his orders, adding a new dimension to newborn medical care in Utah's smaller communities.
“I can see the chest rise. I can see the positioning of the baby and make sure it is correct. I can monitor the resuscitation,” Minton said.
For those providing the care on the other end of the connection, they say the new tool is invaluable.
"Right now being in a small hospital, we have a lower volume of deliveries and so a lower volume of complications. … When they do occur, sometimes it can be a rush to get everything done,” said Suzy Zahler, nurse manager at Sanpete Valley Hospital.
Nurses say having a specialist virtually inside the nursery will simplify emergency care.
“Instead of us being on the phone and trying to tell them what we see, what we feel and what we hear, they can see the baby. They can see the color, (and) they can see how the baby is acting,” Zahler said.
Right now being in a small hospital, we have a lower volume of deliveries and so a lower volume of complications. … When they do occur, sometimes it can be a rush to get everything done.
–Suzy Zahler, nurse manager
Intermountain is also looking to the future with telemedicine as a way to offer more flexibility for patients who want to be treated in their local hospital.
"We can be present at the delivery of a high-risk baby, or if a baby suddenly becomes high-risk, we can be right there and give our expertise right there as the baby needs it,” Minton said.
He sees this as a wave of the future, not only for helping hospitals here in Utah, but patients could get specialist care even in developing nations.
“With this kind of a system, I could be present at a delivery in Africa and give my expertise there just as if I was present at the bedside,” Minton said.
Utah Valley is connecting with Sanpete Valley, along with hospitals in Richfield, Delta, Fillmore, Orem Community and American Fork, to provide specialist care when needed.
