Teleemergency doctor project in Saxony-Anhalt: rescue from a distance!

Teleemergency doctor project in Saxony-Anhalt: rescue from a distance!

An exciting pilot project has been implemented in Halle, the Saalekreis and Mansfeld-Südharz since October to combat the shortage of doctors in the emergency services. So-called teleemergency doctors are used, who are connected via a screen to advise rescue workers and patients. The current project has already generated some positive feedback, as Radiosaw reports.

The heart of this project are the teleemergency doctors, who are primarily used in less urgent cases. This means that patients do not always have to be transported, even if the symptoms are unclear, which not only saves time but also resources in overloaded emergency services. Hartmut Stefani, the medical director of the Merseburg-Querfurt rescue service, emphasizes that in such situations there is often no need for transport. The teleemergency doctors offer support, for example when administering pain medication.

Daily use of teleemergency doctors

In the past few months, the teleemergency doctors have been deployed more than 520 times, a sign that this innovative form of emergency medicine has become part of everyday life. MDR reports that the paramedics receive active support in their work, especially when making decisions or explaining findings. Over 98 percent of attempts to reach a teleemergency doctor were successful, which underlines the effectiveness of the system.

The teleemergency doctors are not only responsible for acute advice, but can also communicate directly with patients via telemedicine. With access to vital data such as blood pressure and heart rate, a comprehensive assessment of the patient's health is possible. In coordination with emergency paramedics, hospital admissions can even be avoided, which is particularly important in remote regions.

From pilot project to comprehensive coverage

The idea behind this pilot project is not only to relieve the burden on emergency services, but also an exemplary step towards a more comprehensive implementation of telemedicine in Germany. Emergency care faces some significant challenges: increasing patient numbers, a shortage of skilled workers and inadequate networking are major issues that need to be addressed. The new emergency reform, which was approved by the Federal Cabinet in July 2024, aims to solve these problems through increased telemedicine approaches. Telmedicon describes that associations of statutory health insurance physicians are obliged to offer telemedicine and outpatient forms of care.

The previous successes with teleemergency doctors could serve as a basis for introducing similar systems in other regions. The opportunities offered by telemedicine, especially in rural areas, are enormous: from faster diagnoses and treatment decisions to relieving the burden on emergency rooms through early care. However, it remains to be seen to what extent existing challenges such as digitalization or data protection can be overcome.