Telemedicine

INTRODUCTION Telehealth is a broad umbrella that covers the technologies that provide clinical and administrative support for patients and physicians. The Office of the Advancement of Telehealth defines telehealth as the support provided for long distance clinical healthcare, patient and professional health-related education and public health and health administration by the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies.^1-2 Examples of telehealth include non-clinical services comprising administrative meetings, provider training and continuing medical education along with clinical services. Other examples of telehealth also include live-interactive videoconferencing, remote monitoring, and store-and-forward imaging.³

Telemedicine, on the other hand, refers to the remote delivery of clinical care through electronic communications. The term was coined in the 1970s by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a mode of valid exchange of medical information pertaining to diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries via information and communication technologies with the goal of improving patients' health status. Telemedicine cannot be considered a separate medical specialty; on the contrary, it is considered a tool to be used by healthcare providers to disseminate the traditional medical practice beyond the walls of the typical medical practice.^4-5 Telemedicine has continued to broaden as more specialties are able to use this approach and the technology itself becomes more pervasive and affordable. Telemedicine applications and services include email, two-way video, wireless tools, smart phones and other communication technology tools.⁸ Examples of telemedicine include group therapy, nursing interactions, education and training, televisits to community health workers, and medical image transmission. This also includes…

ABBREVIATIONS: WHO - World Health Organization, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, ECG – Electrocardiogram, ICU - Intensive Care Unit