This program aims to improve cardiovascular care for patients in Wilkes County by implementing a cardiovascular telehealth program designed to; a) assist WC- EMS paramedics with the early risk stratification (electrocardiogram (EKG) interpretation, vital signs, and risk scores), treatment, and transportation destination decisions in patients with acute chest pain or dyspnea, b) support Wilkes Medical Center (WMC) Emergency Department (ED) providers (physicians and advanced practice clinicians) in the evaluation, management, and disposition of patients with acute cardiovascular symptoms, and c) provide consultative expertise to the Primary Health Care Centers (PHCC) for patients seen following an EMS or ED encounter for cardiovascular symptoms.
This pre-post study will evaluate the implementation of a cardiovascular telehealth platform, which will connect experts from the Wake Forest University Health Sciences (WFUHS) tertiary care center with Wilkes County Emergency Medical Services (WC-EMS) system, Wilkes Medical Center Emergency Department (ED), and The Wilkes County Health Department Public Health Community Clinic (PHCC) to improve cardiovascular care in this rural community.