Four years' experience with antepartum cardiotocography using telemedicine

Abstract

We reviewed the first four years of experience with telemonitoring of patients with high-risk pregnancies. Nine peripheral units (eight in Campania, a region of south Italy, and one in Hungary) recorded cardiotocographic traces and transmitted them via modem to an operations centre at the University 'Federico II' in Naples, where the computerized analysis was performed. The medical report was returned to the peripheral unit via fax or email. Four thousand and twenty one traces were recorded: 2674 (67%) from 764 high-risk patients and 1347 (34%) from 499 patients at apparent low risk. The neonatal outcome was good overall. Questionnaires were sent to the operators working at the peripheral units to evaluate the acquisition of specific skills and their level of satisfaction. Sixty-six questionnaires about cardiotocographic trace interpretation were collected. The number of correct answers increased during the study. A total of 33 questionnaires about job satisfaction were collected. The answers showed that the operators gradually overcame their scepticism during the study. A total of 1098 questionnaires were answered by the patients. Their answers showed a moderate level of satisfaction. Telecardiotocography allowed the decentralization of prenatal surveillance.