Telemedicine/Telehealth

17 September 2012



















          There is a growing cost of medical care and gaps in medical coverage which has created pressure on providers and public policymakers to deliver cost-effective and quality care for all Americans. Some believe the answers lies with telemedicine/telehealth due to the increasing power of information technology and   broadband.
          Telemedicine includes a variety of application and services using two-way video, e-mail, wireless phones and other forms of telecommunication technology. This service was started forty years ago with hospitals extending care to patients in remote areas; this use has spread rapidly and is now becoming integrated into the operations of hospitals specialty department, home health agencies, private physician office and consumers home (American Telemedicine Association, n.d.).
          Telemedicine and telehealth are considered interchangeable terms, incorporating a wide definition of remote healthcare patient consultation through videoconferencing, transmitting of still images, e-health, remote monitoring of vital signs, continuing medical education, consumer-focused wireless application and nursing call center are part of telemedicine and telehealth (American Telemedicine Association, n.d.).
          Telehealth refers to a broader definition of remote health care that does not always involve clinical services. Telehealth is in partnership with the term health information technology (HIT); which is commonly refer to electronic medical records and other related information systems and other non-clinical services such as medical education, administration and research.   Telemedicine refers to the actual delivery of health services using technology (American Telemedicine Association, n.d.) .
          Telemedicine incorporate many specialties of medicine including radiology, pathology, oncology, opthalmology, cardiology, neurology, dermatology and psychology/psychiatry...