Scheid Patrick, Lam David M, Thömmes Alois, Zöller Lothar
Central Institute of the Bundeswehr Medical Service, Koblenz, Germany.
Telemed J E Health. 2007 Apr;13(2):108-17. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2007.0043.
Infectious diseases are among the most common medical conditions suffered by soldiers while serving in missions away from their home countries. The diagnosis of these diseases requires special procedures and expertise, both of which are provided by field microbiological laboratories. In order to support the diagnostic process by means of telemedicine, a modification of the standard German Armed Forces telemedicine workstation was devised. A telemicrobiology module with special equipment, camera, and software has been designed and validated. This module, currently in use in two operational military theaters, has stood the test in routine practice. It allows the transmission of high-quality static images of microscopic specimens or overgrown nutrient media in a matter of seconds. The inclusion of experts in diagnostic analysis through the use of telemedicine improves diagnostic specificity by avoiding false positive results and, particularly in medical parasitology, allows a treatment-essential diagnosis without the dispatch of specimens to Germany. The recently designed telemicrobiology module has been proven, and is now deployed, providing a higher level of field diagnostic support than previously possible.
传染病是士兵在远离祖国执行任务时最常患的疾病之一。这些疾病的诊断需要特殊程序和专业知识，而这两者都由野外微生物实验室提供。为了通过远程医疗支持诊断过程，对德国武装部队标准远程医疗工作站进行了改进。设计并验证了一个配备特殊设备、摄像头和软件的远程微生物学模块。该模块目前正在两个作战军事战区使用，已在日常实践中经受住了考验。它能够在几秒钟内传输微观标本或长满菌苔的营养培养基的高质量静态图像。通过使用远程医疗让专家参与诊断分析，避免了假阳性结果，提高了诊断特异性，特别是在医学寄生虫学方面，无需将标本送往德国就能做出对治疗至关重要的诊断。最近设计的远程微生物学模块已得到验证，目前已投入使用，提供了比以往更高水平的野外诊断支持。
