Journal of Medical Toxicology Highlights Use of Technology in Toxicology Practice
Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) September 15, 2015 -- The September 2015 issue (Vol. 11, Issue 3) of the Journal of Medical Toxicology (JMT), the official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology, features several new studies, including two examining use of technology to improve medical care of poisoned patients. The first is an investigation using Google Glass for toxicology consults. Lead author Peter Chai, MD, MS from the University of Massachusetts suggests “teletoxicology" with innovative tools like Google Glass can extend the reach of medical toxicologists from academic medical centers to distant health-care facilities where many poisoned patients receive care. Traditional telemedicine can be expensive and bulky, but a wearable head-mounted computer with a built-in camera puts a toxicology consult virtually at the bedside. Dr. Chai’s pilot study from UMass confirms that transmission of real-time clinical information by video is a feasible option for positively affecting patient care in situations where a bedside medical toxicologist may not be immediately available.
The second paper looking at the use of video technology in medical toxicology practice is a review of the first year’s experience of the Global Educational Toxicology Uniting Project (GETUP). GETUP is a collaboration that connects clinicians around the globe by linking established medical toxicology services to health care providers and poison information center personnel in countries without a medical toxicologist. Poisoning is an important yet under-recognized burden to global health. The GETUP authors suggest that video conferencing between resource rich and resource poor areas will improve local health care provider knowledge, enhance patient management through education, and build long-term relationships between health services to improve the management of poisoned patients worldwide.
Other papers in the September issue describe the risks of poisoning in pregnant patients, the toxicologic implications of obesity, and more data from emergency departments about the US prescription opioid epidemic. Those articles and other regular features are available in the September edition of JMT (Volume 11, Issue 3) – read it online or download the full issue to your tablet or phone using our brand new mobile JMT app. Discussion of highlights of each issue are also available for download on the JMT Podcast.
About The American College of Medical Toxicology
ACMT is a professional, non-profit association of physicians with recognized expertise in medical toxicology. The ACMT mission is to advance quality care of poisoned patients and public health through physicians who specialize in consultative, emergency, environmental, forensic, and occupational toxicology. For more information, visit http://www.acmt.net, or follow on Twitter @acmt.
ACMT, American College of Medical Toxicology, http://www.acmt.net, +1 (623) 533-6340, [email protected]
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