Quality Management in Sleep Medicine via Telemedicine: Overseas Online Transfer of Polysomnograms via Internet.

摘要

In summary, the goal of our project is to evaluate the transfer of polysomnographicies via the Internet using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), from the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), Germany to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), Washington, DC. WRAMC specialized staff will compare the results of scoring and interpretation of the sleep studies done at WRAMC with the results of the non specialized staff at the remote overseas center. A quality assurance assessment between the two reports will be made to identify the quality of those performed by the specialists versus those performed by those trained on the job. The WRAMC Sleep Disorder Center uses an earlier version of the Sensormedics sleep evaluation software than does LRMC. Through working with the Sensormedics company, we have been able to procure at no cost, a one-time load of the software used at Landstuhl, Germany to conduct the study. The normal cost of this software upgrade is $8,750. An FTP Server has been set up at LRMC and test cases have been sent from LRMC to the server and have been downloaded at WRAMC where the studies have been reviewed, demonstrating the technical ability to get the studies to WRAMC. The project protocol has been through the many approval steps and has been approved, with the authorized protocol stamp on the patient consent form. The LRMC Sleep Disorder Center has the completed packet of study information and is ready to start the project pending technical support from the local Information Management Office.