Evaluation of the Effect of Consultant Characteristics on Telemedicine Diagnosis and Treatment

This study examined teleconsultants' specialty, practice setting, type of employment, years and training in telemedicine to evaluate the effect of these characteristics on diagnoses and treatment. A postuse survey was conducted during 1998–2003 (n = 454 consultations) in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Rural Hospital, Telehealth Project. There were 61 consultants who conducted the teleconsultations. The teleconsultants established a diagnosis in 121 consultations and reported a change in diagnoses in 29 consultations. The consultants established a treatment plan in 219 consultations and reported a change in the treatment plan in 100 consultations. Dermatologists were significantly more likely to establish (P < .01) and change (P = .005) the diagnosis and to establish a treatment plan (P = .03), when compared to all other specialties. Teleconsultants who were self-employed were significantly more likely to change the treatment plan (P = .012). The findings suggest that teleconsultants' characteristics can affect diagnoses and treatment in telemedicine

'To live and die [for] Dixie': Irish civilians and the Confederate States of America

Around 20,000 Irishmen served in the Confederate army in the Civil War. As a result, they left behind, in various Southern towns and cities, large numbers of friends, family, and community leaders. As with native-born Confederates, Irish civilian support was crucial to Irish participation in the Confederate military effort. Also, Irish civilians served in various supporting roles: in factories and hospitals, on railroads and diplomatic missions, and as boosters for the cause. They also, however, suffered in bombardments, sieges, and the blockade. Usually poorer than their native neighbours, they could not afford to become 'refugees' and move away from the centres of conflict. This essay, based on research from manuscript collections, contemporary newspapers, British Consular records, and Federal military records, will examine the role of Irish civilians in the Confederacy, and assess the role this activity had on their integration into Southern communities. It will also look at Irish civilians in the defeat of the Confederacy, particularly when they came under Union occupation. Initial research shows that Irish civilians were not as upset as other whites in the South about Union victory. They welcomed a return to normalcy, and often 'collaborated' with Union authorities. Also, Irish desertion rates in the Confederate army were particularly high, and I will attempt to gauge whether Irish civilians played a role in this. All of the research in this paper will thus be put in the context of the Drew Gilpin Faust/Gary Gallagher debate on the influence of the Confederate homefront on military performance. By studying the Irish civilian experience one can assess how strong the Confederate national experiment was. Was it a nation without a nationalism

Evaluation of the Effect of Consultant Characteristics on Telemedicine Diagnosis and Treatment

This study examined teleconsultants&apos; specialty, practice setting, type of employment, years and training in telemedicine to evaluate the effect of these characteristics on diagnoses and treatment. A postuse survey was conducted during 1998-2003 (n = 454 consultations) in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences&apos; Rural Hospital, Telehealth Project. There were 61 consultants who conducted the teleconsultations. The teleconsultants established a diagnosis in 121 consultations and reported a change in diagnoses in 29 consultations. The consultants established a treatment plan in 219 consultations and reported a change in the treatment plan in 100 consultations. Dermatologists were significantly more likely to establish (P &lt; .01) and change (P = .005) the diagnosis and to establish a treatment plan (P = .03), when compared to all other specialties. Teleconsultants who were self-employed were significantly more likely to change the treatment plan (P = .012). The findings suggest that teleconsultants&apos; characteristics can affect diagnoses and treatment in telemedicine