Summaries of Independent Scientist (K) Awards

Marcin, James

Institution: University of California (UC), Davis
Grant Title: Telemedicine for Children in Rural Emergency Departments
Grant Number:  K08 HS013179
Duration: 5 years (2002-2007)
Total Award: $608,850

Project Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of telemedicine consultations on the quality and satisfaction of care that critically ill and injured children receive in rural emergency departments.  There were three main specific aims:

1. Assess the impact of telemedicine consultation on medication errors and quality of care provided to acutely ill and injured children who present to rural hospitals.
2. Assess the effect of telemedicine on the frequency of admissions to and transports from rural hospitals.
3. Determine the level of parental satisfaction when telemedicine consultations are used. 

Career Goals: Dr. Marcin is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Davis. He received his MD from the University of California, San Diego, and served his residency in Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Marcin then did a Pediatric Critical Care fellowship at the Children's National Medical Center, in Washington DC and received his MPH at George Washington University in Washington DC. He continues to conduct research on a variety of public health issues in pediatric critical care medicine and is in charge of the Pediatric Telemedicine program.

Progress to Date: This grant has been completed. Research findings suggested quality of care provided to children in EDs is higher at a children's hospital versus rural non-children's hospitals, and higher when the treating physician is trained in Pediatric or Emergency Medicine versus non-Pediatric or non-Emergency Medicine trained physicians. Further, telemedicine consultations in the ED resulted in more diagnostic and therapeutic advice, higher quality of care, and higher parent satisfaction when compared to non-telemedicine consultations.

Highlights and Specific Accomplishments:

• Faculty member, UC Davis Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care.

K-Generated Publications:

Derrington S, Cole SL, Dean T, Nasrollahzadeh, Shontz A, Marcin JP. Increased nonessential admissions in rural emergency departments and by non-pediatric emergency medicine physicians. Pediatric Academic Society 2005. May.

Marcin JP, Kuppermann N, Nesbitt, TS, et al. Improving care of critically ill children in rural emergency departments with telemedicine. Pediatric Academic Society 2005. May.

Marcin JP, Dharmar M, Kuppermann N, et al. Assessing quality of care among children receiving care in the emergency department. Pediatric Academic Society 2005. May.

Marcin JP, Seifert L, Cho M, et al. Medication errors among acutely ill and injured children presenting to rural emergency departments. Pediatric Academic Society 2005. May.

Marcin JP, Dharmar M, Cho M, et al. Medication errors among acutely ill and injured children treated in rural emergency department. Annals of Emergency Medicine 2007. 50(4):361-67.

Dharmar M, Marcin JP, Kuppermann N, et al. A new implicit review instrument for measuring quality of care delivered to pediatric patients in the emergency department. BMC Emergency Medicine 2007. 7(1):13.

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