Experience of a real-time tele-EEG service

Abstract

This paper reports an experience in the setting-up and evaluation of a telemedicine solution to provide an electroencephalography service between a secondary hospital placed in Calahorra (Calahorra Hospital Foundation, FHC) and a tertiary hospital placed in Logroño (San Pedro Hospital, HSP) both in La Rioja, Spain. We have evaluated technical and clinical aspects of the tele-EEG (electroencephalography) service as well as the impact over patients, health staff and hospital organization for 6 months. During this period, there have been performed a total of 116 clinical consultations. With reference to patients' opinion, 98% of them stated to be satisfied with the new tele-EEG system and 75% of them preferred it rather than the conventional one, due to they reduce traveling expenses and the total invested time in the EEG test. This new service has been also very appreciated by medical staff, who assure thanks to the tele-EEG service the access for patients to this type of clinical test is improved.