Cook Children’s Healthcare System Providing Telehealth & Virtual Medicine Care For Patient Families Across The Globe  

Cook Children’s Healthcare System, is a non-profit organization working towards improving the health of every child. Based in Fort Worth, Texas they offer professional consultation and exams in real time thanks to the Telehealth Technology tool.  Virtual medicine is not new to Cook Children’s, in fact, Cook Children’s specialists have been conducting telemedicine visits in various clinics for more than 10 years. But it’s grown to be so much more than that.

 From providing specialty care for patient families across the globe, consulting with physicians in outlying areas to conducting virtual visits in school nurse’s offices or after-hours in a patient’s home, telehealth and virtual medicine program become a daily action at Cook Children’s.

Telemedicine is the practice of connecting with a Cook Children’s healthcare professional virtually through real-time audio and video conferencing. In addition to talking remotely to nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals, specialized devices are used for diagnostic purposes. These can include an otoscope for the ear, stethoscope for heart and lung sounds and a close-up exam camera that can take video of the skin, eyes, and mouth.

Cook Children’s specialty clinics throughout North Texas are equipped with cameras, microphones, TV monitors and specialized equipment, which means patient families can receive consultations and exams in real time without having to go to the inconvenience or expense of traveling far from home. A method that some of the Gulf Counties, such as Kuwait already adopted. 

Based on the diagnosis, a patient may have to be seen in person for an initial visit. Specialties currently offered through Cook Children’s outpatient specialty care telemedicine include: Cardiology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Genetics, Hematology and Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Nephrology, Neurology, Neuropsychology, Psychology and Rheumatology.

In addition to these specialties, the Pediatric Hospital offers telehealth services, which give parents and children opportunities to learn from Cook Children’s health professionals, such as dietitians, social workers, psychologists or counselors for patient education, dietary consultations and more.

Cook Children’s is now partnering with in-patient all across the globe to provide them with access to more than 240 specialists.