Telemedicine Essay

Telemedicine

Telemedicine can be defined in several different ways. This rapidly growing application of transmitting medical information via the internet, telephone, or other network provide the physician to consult with the patient, or in some instances, provide a medical examination or procedure. Telemedicine can be simple or complex. For example, two health professionals can discuss a case over the telephone in order to collaborate and provide the patient with the best possible care. On the more complex side of telemedicine, providers can use satellite technology and video-conferencing equipment to consult a specialist in two different countries. In general, telemedicine can be referred to as the use of information technology and communications in order to provide advanced medical care to patients without needing to be physically near each-other. This type of care can be financially beneficial to health-care facilities, driving them to explore the idea of implementing telemedicine in their facilities. There are several barriers to this type of health-care; however, studies have shown that this type of care can greatly improve the satisfaction and outcome of the entire patient experience.

The history of telemedicine can be dated back to the 1960s. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was the first to explore the use of telemetry in order to provide its astronauts with medical care from physicians on earth while in space. According to Zundel (1996), “Demonstrating that physiological functions for astronauts in space could be monitored successfully by physicians on earth, NASA’s scientists, engineers, and contractors developed sophisticated biomedical telemetry and telecommunications systems for ...

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...faction with telemedicine was conducted. The objective of this study was “to review research into patient satisfaction with teleconsultation, specifically clinical consultations between healthcare providers and patients involving real time interactive video” (Mair & Whitten, 2000). The studies that were conducted suggested that teleconsultation was acceptable to patients in different circumstances, but issues regarding patient satisfaction required a more in depth exploration from both the patient and providers perspectives. Although this is just an example of one short research study, it comes to a similar conclusion that a majority of case studies come to. There isn’t enough evidence of clinical benefits from using telecommunication. More research is needed to come to a more accurate conclusion on the benefits and outcomes of telemedicine implementation.