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The world is becoming a smaller place — or at least a more connected one — as telemedicine brings health care facilities, physicians and patients together without anyone leaving their site.

Medical information may be exchanged from one site to another through electronic communications, a process that is helping to improve patients’ health while proving to be safe, cost-effective and efficient in health care delivery.

Telemedicine was introduced about 40 years ago through demonstrations of hospitals extending care to patients in remote areas. Today, telemedicine has expanded its reach to more than half of all U.S. hospitals, which use it for medical imaging, remote monitoring, videoconferencing, websites, smartphones, email and patient consultations.

Dr. Kumar Rajamani, director of the Comprehensive Stroke Program and telemedicine and an associate professor in the Department of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, says the incorporation of telemedicine has emerged as a reliable means of treating acute stroke patients.

“In the last 10 to15 years, there have been tremendous strides in the application of telemedicine in delivery of stroke care,” Rajamani says. “The treatments — which stroke patients need — include thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy, as well as neurointensive critical care and neurosurgical care in appropriate situations. These can be provided in a timely manner to patients who otherwise would not have had easy and reliable access.”

The stroke team at Wayne State University consists of seven vascular and critical care fellowship trained neurologists and has been providing acute stroke coverage at Detroit Receiving Hospital, Harper University Hospital and St. Joseph Mercy Oakland – all serving as hubs to about 35 other hospitals in Michigan.

Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center system have been leading the efforts for the incorporation of telemedicine for acute stroke treatment since the inception of the stroke initiative in 2007. The new paradigms in stroke care include Tele-Stroke and the use of uniform stroke order sets.

In Tele-Stroke, the patient is examined by one of the stroke team attending physicians with the help of a robot and the onsite ED physician. Images and results are seen remotely by the stroke neurologist and treatment decisions are made. The same procedure is in place at various off-site community hospitals, using telemedicine as a bridge.

Stroke order sets include the use of electronic medical records and computerized ordering systems, which allow physicians ease of rapid treatment administration and uniformity of care in a health care system while maintaining the high standards of care provided to stroke patients in Southeast Michigan.

Rajamani says telemedicine is an ever-growing and developing field in health care that is making a significant impact on stroke treatment — and Wayne State is at the forefront.