Loyola Pediatrician a Leader in Group Honored by the American Telemedicine Association

MAYWOOD, Ill. -- Loyola University Medical Center pediatrician Dr. Kathleen Webster, a leader in the growing field of telemedicine, is being honored by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA).

Webster is secretary of the ATA's Pediatric Telehealth Special Interest Group (SIG), which has won the association's SIG & Chapter Achievement Award.
The award will be presented during the ATA 2012 Meeting and Exposition, April 28 to May 1, in San José, Calif.

Winners of the annual awards have demonstrated "a long-term commitment to expanding the quality and accessibility of health care through telemedicine and mobile health-care applications," said ATA President Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr. "Their work has saved and improved countless lives."

The Pediatric Telehealth SIG has advanced ATA's mission by promoting pediatric telemedicine through external collaboration and outreach, and developing educational opportunities for ATA members and nonmembers. Chair of the group is Dr. Neil Herendeen of the University of Rochester Medical Center, and vice chair is Julie Hall-Barrow, EdD, of the University of Arkansas.

Telemedicine is the use of medical information, exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications, to improve patients' health status. An associated term, "telehealth," is a broader definition that can include nonclinical services. Telemedicine and telehealth include videoconferencing, transmission of still images, patient portals, remote monitoring of vital signs, continuing medical education and nursing call centers.

Webster is director of Loyola's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Telemedicine technology enables Webster and her colleagues to remotely examine patients at any hour of the day or night over a secure, high-speed Internet connection. A high-definition camera and microphone at the bedside allow Webster to see, hear and talk to the patient and the patient's family, nurses and doctors. She can even hear the patient's heartbeat on a telemedicine stethoscope.