Telemedicine uses information technologies and telecommunication to deliver clinical healthcare and assistance. For many patients, telemedicine solves the problem of distance and provides access to medical facilities and services that may not be available to them in their immediate area. This field uses email, two-way video calling, smart phones and many other forms of telecommunication technologies.

Nearly 40 years ago, hospitals started using telemedicine to provide extended, out-patient care to patients who would normally have difficulty travelling to the clinic or hospital. Once patients and medical practitioners witnessed the benefits, telemedicine spread rapidly across the globe and has now been integrated into the operations of many private physicians’ offices, hospitals, home health agencies, specialty departments, and also in patients’ homes and workplaces.

Services Provided by Telecommunication

Telecommunication is used extensively in many disciplines and human dependency on it has made it a vital component of our daily routines and activities. There are many services provided by telemedicine:

Patient Health and Medical Information

The Internet is a world of its own. You can find information about virtually everything. The Internet has become many patients’ first stop for information about what they’re feeling. Telemedicine can be helpful in helping patients decide if they need to seek further medical treatment. Telemedicine can also connect patients with similar diseases or difficulties in online discussions and forums.

Primary Care and Specialist Referral

Telemedicine has provided a way for primary care physicians to consult with specialists without leaving their office. This kind of communication usually happens via live interactive video and some programs even allow for collaborative viewing of diagnostic images, video clips and other patient data.

Education

The Internet allows for live or recorded medical seminars by specialists’ and professors to be aired around the globe and viewed and uploaded from anywhere.

Remote Patient Monitoring

This includes home telehealth, which allows remote diagnostic testing facilities or home health agencies to collect data such as blood glucose or ECG readings for evaluation. For some chronic illnesses, this real-time monitoring is a great advantage to proper maintenance of the condition.