Role of tele-ICU in transforming critical care delivery in India

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Role of tele-ICU in transforming critical care delivery in IndiaThe ongoing challenge of delivering high-quality critical care in resource-limited settings has been magnified by the global shortage of trained intensivists and critical care nurses.In India, the estimated availability of intensive care unit (ICU) beds is around 2.3 per 100 000 population, reflecting a major shortfall compared to global standards, disproportionately concentrated in tier-1 and tier-2 cities. 1 As such, a large proportion of the population remains underserved in terms of access to specialized critical care.Despite the advanced healthcare infrastructure in developed countries, delivering high-quality care to remote and rural populations remain a persistent challenge.Tele-ICUs have emerged as an innovative solution, enabling continuous remote monitoring, real-time expert consultation, and decision support for critically ill patients, thereby bridging the gap in access to specialized care.2,3 Globally, tele-ICUs have shown major benefits, including improved patient outcomes, optimized resource utilization, and standardized evidence-based care practices.Studies from the USA, for instance, have shown that tele-ICU implementation is associated with reduced ICU mortality, shorter ICU lengths of stay, and improved adherence to protocols for ventilator-associated pneumonia, stress ulcer prophylaxis, and venous thromboembolism prevention.4 The continuous monitoring capability provided by tele-ICUs facilitates timely interventions, enhances patient safety, and allows for more efficient coordination of transfers between healthcare facilities.5 In India, telemedicine's regulatory framework was formalized in 2020 through the telemedicine practice guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.These guidelines address key aspects of telemedicine practice, including clinician training, patient consent, data privacy, and ethical considerations, thereby laying the foundation for structured expansion of tele-ICU services.A pioneering initiative in this domain is the government-supported tele-ICU program established at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow.The project, funded through corporate social responsibility contributions from the PowerGrid Corporation of India and technical support from cloud physicians, Bengaluru and CoreByte Systems Private Limited (CSPL), India, implemented a hub-and-spoke model connecting SGPGIMS, the central hub, with state medical college ICUs as spokes.This setup ensures 24/7 monitoring and guidance from trained intensivists and registered nurses at the hub, while bedside teams at the spokes deliver direct patient care.The program has shown remarkable success in extending critical care expertise to regions lacking trained intensivists, standardizing care protocols, and improving overall patient outcomes.Operationally, the SGPGIMS tele-ICU integrates real-time audiovisual connectivity, electronic medical records, and picture archiving systems to facilitate comprehensive monitoring.The remote teams participate in daily rounds, on-demand consultations, and inter-hospital transfer coordination.This model not only improves adherence to evidence-based practices but also enhances team collaboration and safety perceptions among bedside staff.6 Nurses and other healthcare providers at spoke ICUs report improved confidence in clinical decision-making, better teamwork, and heightened patient safety awareness.5 The decision-making authority of remote tele-ICU teams has been correlated with improved outcomes, highlighting the importance ASIF DABEER JAFRI

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