Table 4.
Descriptions of Telestroke Technologies
| Study Details | Communication Method | Portability, Resolution and Data Transfer Speed | Expertise and training Requirements | Person interpreting output | Location (on scene; stationary ambulance; in transit) | Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
TeleBAT LaMonte et al. 2000 [26] Xiao et al. 2000 [27] |
Unidirectional video and data transfer |
Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: Low (VGA) Transmission speed: Slow (2G) |
Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required |
Remote physician |
Stationary In transit |
$20,000–$25,000 (~£14,000 - £17,000) in year 2000 + ‘operating cost of 4 cell phones’ |
|
‘peeq-box’ Bergrath et al. 2012 [28] |
Bidirectional video and data transfer |
Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: Low (VGA) Transmission speed: Slow to moderate (2G–3G) |
Expertise: Other ambulance staff (EMS physicians) Training: required |
Remote physician |
Stationary In transit |
Not reported |
|
Stroke Angel Ziegler et al. 2008 [29] Rashid et al. 2015 [30] |
Clinical data transfer No audio or video |
Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: N/A |
Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required |
EMS clinician |
Stationary In transit |
Not reported |
|
PreSSUB I Espinoza et al. 2016 [31] |
Bidirectional video and data transfer |
Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: High (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Fast (4G) |
Expertise: Other ambulance staff (EMS nurses) Training: required |
Remote physician | In transit | Not reported |
|
PreSSUB II Espinoza et al. 2015 [32] Brouns et al. 2016 [33] |
Bidirectional video and data transfer |
Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Moderate to fast (3G–4G) |
Expertise: Other ambulance staff (EMS nurses) Training: required |
Remote physician | In transit | Not reported |
|
InTouch Xpress Belt et al. 2016 [34] |
Bidirectional video |
Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: High (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Fast (4G) |
Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required |
Remote physician | In transit | ~$33,000 (~£27,000) in 2016: $23,000 (~£19,000) equipment + ~ $10,000 (~£8000) maintenance |
|
Smartphone with encrypted software Brotons et al. 2016 [35] |
Bidirectional video (unclear if data transfer) |
Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: Not reported Transmission speed: Not reported |
Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: not reported |
Remote physician |
On scene Stationary |
$2250 (~£1800) per unit in 2016 |
|
HipaaBridge Barrett et al. 2017 [36] |
Bidirectional video |
Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: High (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Fast (4G) |
Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required |
Remote physician | In transit | ~$600 (~£500) in 2017 |
|
iPad with video capability Shah et al. 2017 [37] |
Bidirectional video |
Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: Not reported Transmission speed: Not reported |
Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required |
Remote physician | Not reported | Not reported |
|
Field-Telestroke Andrefsky et al. 2018 [38] |
Bidirectional video |
Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: Not reported Transmission speed: Not reported |
Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: required |
Remote physician |
On scene In transit |
Described as ‘Low cost’ |
|
REACHOUT project / HIPPA-compliant hand-held iPads Hackett et al. 2018 [39] |
Bidirectional video |
Highly portable (hand-held) Resolution: Not reported Transmission speed: Not reported |
Expertise: Qualified Paramedic Training: requirements were not reported |
Remote physician | Not reported | Not reported |
| Custom-built system Johansson et al. 2019 [40] | Bidirectional video |
Portable with use of a vehicle Resolution: High (HD-FHD) Transmission speed: Moderate to fast (3G–4G) |
Expertise: Other ambulance staff (EMS nurses) Training: required |
Remote physician | Not reported | Not reported |