Third generation cellular multimedia teleconsultations in plastic surgery

This version was published on 1 June 2011J Telemed Telecare 2011;17:199-202
doi:10.1258/jtt.2010.100604
? 2011 Royal Society of Medicine Press

Nimrod Farber , Josef Haik, Alon Liran, Oren Weissman and Eyal Winkler

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel

Correspondence: Dr Nimrod Farber, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer 52621, Israel (Fax: +972 3530 2248; Email: farbern{at}gmail.com )

We conducted a study to test whether new third generation (3G) mobile phones could be integrated into service as a working tool between plastic surgeons. During an eight-month period, 58 multimedia consultations were performed involving 57 patients. The majority of the consultations were for trauma or wounds. All consultations comprised a digital photograph taken with the integrated camera and sent via the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). In 86% of the cases the residents reported that multimedia information contributed to their ability to independently handle similar cases in future. Satisfaction scores were high among all participants. We believe that a multimedia consultation in a hospital setting adds information to an ordinary telephone call, thus decreasing medico-legal risks. We recommend it for routine use.

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