Telemedicine support in ambulances for children with emergencies

Feasibility and Efficacy of Ambulance-Based mhealth for Pediatric Emergencies (FEAMER) Trial

NIH-funded research Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11136523

This project uses real-time telemedicine in ambulances to help EMTs and emergency doctors care for children with acute illnesses during transport.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionWeill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11136523 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If your child needs ambulance transport for an emergency, participating ambulances will link EMTs with telemedicine physicians during the ride. The trial randomly assigns 30 ambulances to carry the telemedicine setup and 30 ambulances to provide usual care, and compares children's Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) from the scene to ED triage. Secondary measures include the percent of completed telemedicine calls, EMT and physician satisfaction, and clinical outcomes at the end of the ED visit. The project also builds local m-health research capacity with existing partners using the same telemedicine setup tested in the prior feasibility phase.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are children aged 0–11 years with acute emergency illnesses who are transported by a participating ambulance to the partner pediatric emergency department.

Not a fit: Children who are not transported by the trial ambulances, have non-urgent conditions that do not require ambulance transport, or are treated outside the participating region are unlikely to benefit directly from this trial.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce deterioration during transport and improve emergency outcomes for children by giving EMTs real-time specialist guidance.

How similar studies have performed: An earlier R21 phase of this project demonstrated feasibility, and prehospital telemedicine studies in adults have shown promising but mixed results, so the pediatric ambulance application remains relatively novel.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.