Ulrike Sieglinde Walter

Ms. Ulrike Sieglinde Walter


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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11 October 2026 in Healthcare
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
UWUlrike Sieglinde Walter
Ulrike Sieglinde Walter
LWLukas Weber
Lukas Weber
MCMichael Czaplik
Michael Czaplik
Jan LarmannJan Larmann
Jan Larmann
AFAndreas Follmann
Andreas Follmann
AMAnna Mueller
Anna Mueller
Background/Objectives: Disaster medicine is frequently constrained by shortages of highly qualified medical personnel. Telemedicine may extend advanced expertise to less-qualified responders, but previous disaster telemedicine models have predominantly relied on physicians as remote consultants. This study compared patient care outcomes under telemedical support provided by experienced Paramedics with tele-physician support, conventional on-site physician care, and EMT-only care. Methods: A prospective, simulation-based, controlled quasi-experimental study was conducted during a 7.5-h mass casualty exercise in Hamburg, Germany. Seven treatment tents were assigned to four groups: on-site physician (CONT), EMT-only care (IV 1), tele-physician support (IV 2), and tele-Paramedic support (IV 3). Outcomes comprised time to first treatment order, indicated treatments addressed, analgesia management, and patient contact frequency by the most highly qualified team member. Results: A total of 151 simulated patients were included. Time to first treatment order did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.09). The proportion of indicated treatments addressed differed significantly (p < 0.001), with rates of 56% in CONT, 8% in IV 1, 57% in IV 2, and 51% in IV 3. Analgesia was addressed in 68%, 7%, 59%, and 60% of patients with an indication, respectively (p < 0.001). Increasing pain intensity significantly increased the likelihood of analgesia in CONT, IV 2, and IV 3 but not in IV 1. Recorded patient contact frequencies were descriptively higher in the telemedicine groups, although contacts were operationally defined differently between telemedicine and non-telemedicine models. Conclusions: Tele-physician and tele-Paramedic support showed similar observed performance across selected outcomes to conventional physician-led care and substantially better rates of indicated treatments addressed and analgesia provision than EMT-only care. The findings indicate that experienced Paramedics may represent a valuable additional resource for telemedical disaster response. Larger studies are needed to confirm these results, define the appropriate scope of practice, and evaluate tiered consultation models in which tele-Paramedics provide first-line support and tele-physicians remain available for escalation of complex cases.