BY,
BELSY BOBAN, PHARM D, FIFTH YEAR.
Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to
another via electronic communication technology to improve a patient’s clinical
health status and standard of care. Telemedicine can create applications and
services using two-way video, email, smart phones, wireless tools and other
forms of telecommunication technology.
What Services Can Be Provided By Telemedicine?
Primary care and
specialist referral services, this usually involves the use of live
interactive video or the use of store and forward informations for later view.
Remote patient
monitoring, includes a specific vital sign, such as blood glucose or heart ECG or
a variety of indicators for homebound patients.
Consumer medical and
health information includes the use of the Internet to obtain specialized health
information and on-line discussion groups.
Medical education provides
continuing medical education credits for health professionals and special
medical education seminars for targeted groups in remote locations.
Types of telemedicine
1.
Real Time or Synchronous: It could be as simple as a
telephone call or as complex as telemedical
video conference and telerobotic surgery.
It requires the presence of both parties at the
same time and a telecommunication link between them that allows
a real-time interaction to take place.
Video-conferencing equipment is one of the most common forms.
2.
Store-and-forward telemedicine or Asynchronous: It
involves acquiring medical data (like medical
history, images, etc) and then transmitting
this data to a doctor or medical specialist at
a convenient time later for assessment offline. It does not require
the presence of both parties at the same
time. Examples are tele-pathology, tele-radiology,
and tele-dermatolgy.
What Are the Benefits of Telemedicine?
Telemedicine has been growing rapidly
because it offers four fundamental benefits:
Improved Access – Telemedicine
has a unique capacity to increase service to millions of new patients.
Cost Efficiencies – Reducing or
containing the cost of healthcare is one of the most important reasons for
funding and adopting telehealth technologies.
Improved Quality – Studies have
consistently shown that the quality of healthcare services delivered via
telemedicine is as good those given in traditional in-person consultations.
Patient Demand – Consumers
want telemedicine. The greatest impact of telemedicine is on the patient, their
family and their community. Using telemedicine technologies reduces travel time
and related stresses for the patient.
IN
INDIAN SCENARIO: Telemedicine programs actively supported by:
• Dept. of Information Technology (DIT)
• Indian Space Research Organization
• NEC Telemedicine program for
North-Eastern states
• Apollo Hospitals
• Asia Heart Foundation
• State governments
• Telemedicine technology also
supported by some other private organizations
Telemedicine in Kerala
The setting up of Telemedicine & Telehealth education facilities in
Kerala was developed under DIT. The project will link three specialty medical
hospitals at MCH, SCTIMST & the RCC, with 4 District/ Rural Hospital. The
CancerNet is telemedicine system for Cancer Patients in Kerala, which is the
establishment of an Oncology Network for providing advanced services in
Oncology. Cancer detection, treatment, pain relief, patient follow-up and
continuity are the roles of patient care in peripheral hospitals (nodal
centres) of Regional Cancer Centre (RCC). It connects RCC, Trivandrum and five
nodal outreach centres.
– More than 3000 patients
treated/consulted at these nodal centres
– Major financial benefit to patients
REFERENCE
2. Debjit Bhowmik et al., Telemedicine - An Innovating Healthcare System in India: The pharma
innovation journal; Vol. 2 (4)
2013:page no. 1-20.
BY,
BELSY BOBAN, PHARM D, FIFTH YEAR.
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