Telemedicine for Children With Disabilities

We evaluated the efficacy of team-to-team interdisciplinary telemedicine evaluations for children with special needs in rural Iowa. A real-time cable system was connected to two public school sites and a small regional hospital from the hospitalbased Center for Disabilities and Development. Results from the treatment and control groups suggest that the telemedicine group (parents) reported consultations at least as effective as parents who received on-site evaluations. Providers (multiple professionals) were equally positive about the evaluations. Data suggest that the telemedicine evaluations were viewed as good as face-to-face consultations. Significant cost savings occurred.