A trial is about to start on satellite assistance for specially-equipped ambulances which will enable staff to send information, including X-rays, to a medical centre from the scene of an accident. The technology, to be trialled in the Italian town of Vicenza, was demonstrated at a recent meeting on the theme of Telemedicine via Satellite hosted by the European Space Research Institute near Rome. The pilot project, called NESA (Next-generation Emergency Satellite Assistance), will help the receiving medical centre carry out an initial diagnosis and direct the ambulance to the unit best equipped to treat the patient. “This saves time – vital in an emergency – as the ambulance goes direct to the correct medical centre which is ready and waiting for its arrival,” says a report of the meeting. The meeting brought together representatives from the World Health Organisation, industry and healthcare to assess progress on the Telemedicine via Satellite project run by the European Space Agency (ESA). Eight areas of telemedicine are being studied: interconnectivity for healthcare services; services for citizens; healthcare at home, mobility; early warning of environmental risks, e-health education and vision for e-health and telemedicine via satellite. In a statement following the meeting the ESA, which says it is ‘in listening mode’ with healthcare stakeholders, said: “Telemedicine is an area where the technology is ahead of the ability or the will to put it into practice. The goal to work for is a global telemedicine service so that all citizens, wherever they may be, can be assured of receiving the best quality treatment available. “Satellite telecommunications have much to offer as in remote areas, in emergencies and on planes and ships, they are the best, if not the only, means of ensuring the transmission of data in real time. Telemedicine can also help to remove the digital divide by providing access to good medical services and training to doctors and health-care workers in all areas of the globe resulting in equality of service for all. “Before this can be accomplished, however, there are a number of legal, financial, social, technical and security aspects that need to be worked on. Even before a European-wide system can be put into operation questions of interoperability need to be resolved so that the systems used in different countries are compatible. Last but not least, the political will to iron out these problems is needed.”
