U of Miami Med School Offers Haiti Telemed Trauma Support

The University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine recently launched a telemedicine program that provides doctors at Haiti’s only trauma, critical care, and rehabilitation hospital with access to around-the-clock medical support through live video communication with UM trauma specialists.


The University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine recently launched a telemedicine program that provides doctors at Haiti’s only trauma, critical care, and rehabilitation hospital with access to around-the-clock medical support through live video communication with UM trauma specialists.

Located in Port-au-Prince’s Village Solidarite neighborhood, Hospital Bernard Mevs sees a high volume of adult and pediatric patients with a range of critical injuries and conditions doctors there are not fully equipped to handle.

While doctors at Hospital Bernard Mevs have received extensive training from Miller School faculty over the years, sometimes the doctors staffing the hospital are not specialists in trauma or intensive care.

“Although the basics of stabilization are in place and can be done by the majority of the Haitian staff, there are cases that require more sophisticated and specialized attention to manage properly,” said Antonia Eyssallenne, M.D., who developed the program in collaboration with Carl I. Schulman, M.D.

With the new telemedicine project, guidance from an on-call UM trauma doctor will be a phone call and a few computer clicks away — enabling the staff at Hospital Bernard Mevs to better diagnose, stabilize injuries, and provide longer term care to patients.

The high-definition video conferencing system is provided by Polycom software. Web cameras also will allow UM trauma specialists to view the patients’ injuries and symptoms and devise the best response.

UM has had a longstanding relationship with Hospital Bernard Mevs, and like many of the Miller School’s physicians, Schulman and Eyssallenne were first responders to the 2010 Haiti earthquake – Eyssallenne continues working there. Shortly after the devastation, UM also merged its earthquake response operation with the hospital and has continued its support through Project Medishare, which allows faculty and residents to volunteer at the hospital.

In addition to providing trauma support, Schulman said the live video technology will allow UM doctors to assist with some of the regular critical care hospital rounds.

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