Telemedicine

Telemedicine has various definitions but all converge to mean " providing medicine at a distance with the help of Information and communication Technologies".

The forms of Telemedicine include :-

a) Teleconsultation - when a doctors consults a specialist in some other hospital, for  second opinion through video conferencing or email etc.

b) Telediagnosis - when a doctor diagnoses an ailment based on the digital medical information received by him, from a distance.

c) Teleducation - delivering or attending lectures using IT tools like video conferencing or Internet.

The applications of Telemedicine include :-

a) Teleradiology - The exchange of clinical information using Information and Communication Technologies,pertaining to the specialty of Radiology (e.g.radiographical images etc.)

b) Telecardiology - The exchange of clinical information using Information and  Communication Technologies pertaining to the specialization of Cardiology (ECG etc.)

c) Telepathology - The exchange of clinical information using Information and  Communication Technologies pertaining to the specialty of Pathology (e.g. laboratory reports and slides/images etc.) Similarly, the other  specialties of medicine (like dermatology, dentistry, Ophthalmology, Oncology etc) exchange the relevant clinical information to derive the benefits of Telemedicine.

Benefits of Telemedicine

Telemedicine promises numerous benefits ranging from shorter waiting times,  Convenience of the  patient, may be cheaper than conventional practice in certain cases, allows the possibility of changing the mix of skills at the periphery, enhances communication between the peripheral and tertiary level hospitals.