Telmedicine

Essay by florencenightingaleA+, September 2004

download word file, 12 pages 3.7

Telemedicine

PART A - What is telemedicine? Explain Contribution?

Telemedicine is increasingly cited as part of the emerging area of e-health for example:- the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT & the INTERNET) to provide health care. The World Health Organisation definition of telemedicine is: "The delivery of healthcare services, where distance is a factor, by all healthcare professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of healthcare providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities"

Telecare, a term often associated with telemedicine, can be defined as: "...the use of information and communication systems to give patients with or without their healthcare professional or informal carer access to information sources wherever they are located… frequently…within patients' place of residence"

CONTRIBUTIONS OF TELEMEDICINE ARE:

Remote real-time assessments: of and consultations with patients for example, at accident scenes, Accident & Emergency triage and psychiatric services

Reducing waiting lists: digital images stored electronically for non-real-time diagnosis enabling a greater volume of cases to be assessed by a distributed network of professionals, for example, dermatological images taken in general practice

Accessible expert advice: using call-centre and telephone services to provide people with quality controlled expert advice and information.

Information is obtained from the Health management Information Consortium (HMIC) database and from desk-based Web research. Readers are advised to consider further information

What is the benefits of telemendine?

There is great potential for the use of telemedicine to revolutionise the delivery of health care. The NHS Plan for England "Ambulances will be equipped with video and monitoring equipment so that victims of accidents can get the most appropriate care while they are being taken to hospital."...