Telemedicine

Welcome to Stefi's Search = on Telemedicine!

Table of Contents

Telemedicine is basically how is it sounds--medicine "tele" the internet. It uses satellite and = ground-based communications to exchange medical
images and information across long distances. This exchange of medical information from one site to another via electronic = communications provides health and education for the patient and the doctor. = For example, video conferencing helps in diagnoses because a surgeon can = observe a procedure remotely and confer with others to make sure things go = smoothly. A doctor in one hospital can consult with a patient or doctor in another area in order to speed = diagnoses and help ensure their accuracy. Medical school students can learn medical = procedures without having to physically be in the operating room. Telemedicine is an = electronic, remote medical consultation with the same principles of thorough, compassionate care.

Back to the top

Benefits of Telemedicine

Although telemedicine has not been = adopted in all hospitals and university programs due to small flaws which still exist, = there are myriad of beneficial purposes for both doctors and patients. The following show such uses and = benefits >From telemedicine.

Data analysis
= = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; = A patient's vital = signs can be transmitted and analyzed with data from nearly five million medical records. The = patient can also receive a personalized report of his or her risk for = diabetes, heart attack, colon cancer or other illnesses. For patients who have such conditions, follow-up care and monitoring = are important. A patient's heart rhythm or glucose levels can be recorded and transmitted, and a = personal report can be generated on the patient's progress. Telemedicine allows = patients to record and transmit vital signs directly from home, rather than having to journey to a medical establishment.

Medical evaluation

A patient may be examined by physicians via two-way = television. Thus, the patient can join both doctors simultaneously to discuss = the medical condition and methods of treatment. Consultations can range = >From primary to tertiary applications, depending on the patient's need.

Emergency consultation

In the future, for example, if a crisis develops during = open-heart surgery, local doctors in the operating room could use telemedicine to contact a specialist = for guidance in successful resolution of the crisis.

Patient education

Doctors, therapists, and even nurses can use telemedicine to deliver cost-effective, personalized information and = follow-up care to patients.
Medical education

Professional isolation is a major reason why rural communities = have difficulty recruiting and retaining physicians. Telemedicine helps doctors keep up with = the latest findings in their field and maintain contact with colleagues. By providing such = linkages, telemedicine can help resolve the uneven distribution of physicians = in our country.
Research collaboration
= &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; &nbs= p; Technology provides = rapid, high-quality transmissions of medical images and information, motivating researchers throughout the United States, and the world = for that matter, to collaborate and form new discoveries and = cures.

Back to the top

Challenges for Net Health Care

Although = our rapid developing technology enables us to provide better health care programs, = a series of challenges still lie ahead, which prevent telemedicine from = becoming commonly accepted. Such challenges include ensuring computer = networks can sustain remote video consultation, protecting patients electronic = records containing personal health information, ensuring doctors are reimbursed = for remote medical consultations, and liability concerns from varying = licensure contracts across state lines. It is important to guarantee such = aspects of telemedicine so that doctors can obtain medical histories of emergency = room patients and routinely monitor homebound patients without worry. = The following list entails the details of such challenges facing the future = of telemedicine today.

Confidentiality and security

The confidentiality of medical records is the biggest barrier = to the full realization of telemedicine. Instantaneous access, = though extremely beneficial, requires the use of large medical record databases, which contain information = about all patients cared for by a particular hospital. But if large databases of medical records are ever = left unprotected, those confidential records become jeopardized.

Dispersion of liability

The use of consultation and health care over the internet disperses = liability for damage between many parties. The question of who is responsible when several = parties are involved becomes an important one. Statutes for = malpractice become muddled when jurisdictions are mixed.

Licensure and accreditation

Telemedicine creates conflicts between states, or countries, = over the rules and regulations of accreditation and licensure. Medical licenses are issued by states, and = therefore becomes illegal to practice medicine in any other state since rules for accreditation may differ between them. The question then = becomes, "Is it illegal for a patient in North Dakota to receive treatment advice from a doctor in South Dakota?"

Fraud

Accuracy of information is another risky factor. Is the = information people receive online correct? The source and = currency of information must be considered. Fraud relates also to = medical records. How do we guarantee patient's privacy? How do we = ensure that only doctors can attain medical records, and not lawyers or = insurance companies?

Ethicality

As much help as telemedicine may be, there is no substitute = for being in the room with a patient. Too much reliance on remote diagnosis or assistance can result in = inaccurate diagnosis and is therefore unethical.

This information can be found at: Arent Fox's = "Telemedicine and the Law," and "Peer Reviewed Articles" section of TIE's Legal and = Ethical Issues in Telemedicine.

Back to the top

The Future of Telemedicine

What can = we foresee for the future?

The one = assurance we can count on is that technology is quickly advancing, allowing us to = gradually diminish the challenges that lay before us today. Updated security = systems will soon be able to protect patient's private medical records. = States and countries will realize the countless benefits of telemedicine, and = convene to form compromises for varying licenses and = accreditation. And other challenges can only be surmounted with trust. We have to = trust that people will respect a dying patient's medical records, and that they = will not alter such valuable information. We must also realize that = some challenges might never disappear, for it is simply inevitable to have = problems in such a field as health care, where new diseases and illnesses are = always arising. Hopefully, even with such challenges before us, = telemedicine will continue to spread all over the world.

Best Telemedicine Websites

I found = that the best websites were those that provided concrete information, links, and interesting = articles. Here are such websites that captured my attention.

Telemedicine Today Magazine provides a general overview of telemedicine, related programs, organizations, = software, projects, legal issues, resources and video conferencing, along with an abundance of links to such aspects of health care over the = internet.

Telemedicine and the Law supplies an assortment of information concerning the legal issues attached to = telemedicine, ranging from current news stories as the international code of ethics to = the confidentiality of patient records. It also entails the federal = actions being made in Congress upon the matters of security and ethics.

TechMall = is a good web site because it provides top = technology stories with extra information about special television programs or broadcasts concerning telemedicine.

Telehealth Magazine is a site which displays links to health systems across the = country, with special video tours of their health care programs.

Medcon Ltd. is a company which produces telemedicine technology products, as the = multi-modality DICOM viewer, the TCS, and MDQM. They have pictures and brief = overviews for all their products.

CS99I/Gio Wiederhold/"Traveling the Information Highway"

For questions/comments, contact Stefi Hines.

------=_NextPart_000_0005_01BF8EEF.24DC2B80--