A Pediatric Telemedicine Response to a Natural Disaster

Telemedicine was offered to families of pediatric patients before and after Category 4 Hurricane Irma struck in Florida. The authors reviewed 262 telemedicine visits over eight days to determine related use and patterns. Most visits took place either the day before or after the storm, with the most frequent complaints being upper respiratory, skin-related, fevers, or gastrointestinal. The authors note high satisfaction from both patients and providers and suggest more research on the use of telemedicine during and after disasters.