Ambulance telemedicine for children with emergencies
Official title: Feasibility and Efficacy of Ambulance-Based mhealth for Pediatric Emergencies (FEAMER) Trial
Funded at Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11376803 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project connects ambulances to pediatric emergency physicians by telemedicine to help children aged 0–11 during transport to the hospital.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | July 10, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $78,440 |
| NIH project number | 3R33HD103049-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11376803 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 0–11 with acute illnesses or injuries who are transported by one of the participating ambulances to a participating pediatric emergency department are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children not transported by participating ambulances, those outside the 0–11 age range, or patients whose conditions require immediate hands-on interventions that cannot be aided by telemedicine may not benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If an enrolled ambulance is dispatched, EMTs will connect the child and crew to a pediatric emergency doctor using a tested telemedicine setup so the doctor can guide care during transport. Thirty ambulances will be randomized to have the teleconsultation system while thirty will provide usual care, with each ambulance serving as a cluster. The main measure is change in the Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) from the scene to hospital arrival, and secondary measures include percent of completed calls, EMT and physician satisfaction, and outcomes at the end of the ED visit. The team will also train local partners to build m-health research capacity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help doctors give better support during ambulance transport and reduce worsening of children's conditions before they reach the emergency department.
How similar studies have gone: A prior R21 phase showed the ambulance-based telemedicine approach was feasible, but randomized evidence on improving clinical outcomes in children is still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Razzak, Junaid Abdul — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Razzak, Junaid Abdul
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.