telemedicine our vision to future

TELEMEDICINEour vision to future

Dr.T.V.Rao MD

Program Dedicated to Prime Minister of India

The Nation is Thankful to our Beloved Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modiji for his vision as One can't make available thousands of medical specialists or school teachers to the remotest corners of the country, but one can make their services available through broadband at multi-service centres in every village. That, in

essence, is the vision of Digital India initiative that the Cabinet cleared for benefit of India

Dr.T.V.Rao MD Professor of Microbiology Travancore Medical

College Kollam Kerala India

Email doctortvrao@gmail.com .

Definition of Telemedicine

Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information

technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It

helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical

services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural

communities.

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status. Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services using two-way video, email, smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of telecommunications technology.

Telemedicine as Defined by WHO

According to World Health Organisation, telemedicine is defined as, “The delivery of healthcare services, where distance is a critical factor, by all healthcare professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for continuing education of healthcare providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities”.

Raising of ICT Empowers Telemedicine

Advances in ICT have heightened public awareness and health sophistication (with greater public awareness of behavioural risk factors, ready access to sources of health information, and an active and extensive lay referral system), thereby increasing demand for medical care.

Telemedicine connects any Remote area

Four Decades ago with demonstrations of hospitals extending care to patients in remote areas, the use of telemedicine has spread rapidly and is now becoming integrated into the ongoing operations of hospitals, specialty departments, home health agencies, private physician offices as well as consumer’s homes and workplaces.

Telemedicine is Investment in Information Technology Telemedicine is often part of a larger investment by health care institutions in either information technology or the delivery of clinical care

Telemedicine becomes Health Information

Technology Telehealth is sometimes used to refer to a broader definition of remote healthcare that does not always involve clinical services, Telemedicine is closely allied with the term health information technology (HIT).

What Services Can Be Provided By Telemedicine?

Primary care and Specialist referral

ServicesPrimary care and specialist referral services may involve a primary care or allied health professional providing a consultation with a patient or a specialist assisting the primary care physician in rendering a diagnosis. This may involve the use of live interactive video or the use of store and forward transmission of diagnostic images, vital signs and/or video clips along with patient data for later review.

Remote Patient Monitoring,

Remote patient monitoring, including home Telehealth, uses devices to remotely collect and send data to a home health agency or a remote diagnostic testing facility (RDTF) for interpretation. Such applications might include a specific vital sign, such as blood glucose or Heart ECG or a variety of indicators for homebound patients. Such services can be used to supplement the use of visiting nurses.

Consumer Medical and Health Information

Consumer medical and health information includes the use of the Internet and wireless devices for consumers to obtain specialized health information and on-line discussion groups to provide peer-to-peer support.

Telemedince Empowers Chronic Patents who are less

Mobile The telemedicine intervention in chronic disease management promises to involve patients in their own care, provides continuous monitoring by their healthcare providers, identifies early symptoms, and responds promptly to exacerbations in their illnesses.

Telemedicine Empowers Medical Education

Medical education provides continuing medical education credits for health professionals and special medical education seminars for targeted groups in remote locations.

What Delivery Mechanisms Can Be

Used?

Networked ProgramsNetworked

programs link tertiary care hospitals and clinics with outlying clinics and community health centres in rural or suburban areas. The links may use dedicated high-speed lines or the Internet for telecommunication links between sites

Point-to-point connection

Point-to-point connections using private high speed networks are used by hospitals and clinics that deliver services directly or outsource specialty services to independent medical service providers. Such outsourced services include radiology, stroke assessment, mental health and intensive care services.

Monitoring Centre linksTelemedicine

Monitoring centre links are used for cardiac, pulmonary or fetal monitoring, home care and related services that provide care to patients in the home. Often normal land-line or wireless connections are used to communicate directly between the patient and the center although some systems use the Internet.

Web-based e-health patient service sites

Web-based e-health patient service sites provide direct consumer outreach and services over the Internet. Under telemedicine, these include those sites that provide direct patient care.

What Are the Benefits of Telemedicine?

Telemedicine has been growing rapidly because it offers four

fundamental Benefits:Improved Access

Cost Efficiencies

Improved Quality

Patient Demand

Improved Access Improved Access – For over 40 years, telemedicine has been used to bring healthcare services to patients in distant locations. Not only does telemedicine improve access to patients but it also allows physicians and health facilities to expand their reach, beyond their own offices.

Cost EfficienciesCost Efficiencies – Reducing or containing the cost of healthcare is one of the most important reasons for funding and adopting telehealth technologies. Telemedicine has been shown to reduce the cost of healthcare and increase efficiency through better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and fewer or shorter hospital stays.

Improved Quality in Telemedicine

Improved Quality – Studies have consistently shown that the quality of healthcare services delivered via telemedicine are as good those given in traditional in-person consulations. In some specialties, particularly in mental health and ICU care, telemedicine delivers a superior product, with greater outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Patient’s Too DemandService

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

Raise of Telemedicine

Rising use of telemedicine takes different forms. Traditionally telemedicine has played the biggest role in rural areas where visits to doctors are difficult and in consultations with specialists like radiologists and oncologists where value is created by connecting a patient to the best expert.

Google Joins Telemedicine Revolution

Google's recent announcement that it will provide telemedicine services was the crescendo to a swelling volume of recent interest: However it has been popular around for a generation.

Tele-EducationTele-education: Tele-Education should be understood as the development of the process of distance education (regulated or unregulated), based on the use of information and telecommunication technologies, that make interactive, flexible and accessible learning possible for any potential recipient.

Telemedicine Disaster Management:

Disaster Management: Telemedicine can play an important role to provide healthcare facilities to the victims of natural disasters such as earthquake, tsunami, tornado, etc and man-made disaster such as war, riots, etc. During disaster, most of the terrestrial communication links either do not work properly or get damaged so a mobile and portable telemedicine system with satellite connectivity and customized telemedicine software is ideal for disaster relief.

Tele-home health care:

Tele-home health care: Telemedicine technology can be applied to provide home health care for elderly or underserved, homebound patients with chronic illness. It allows home healthcare professionals to monitor patients from a central station rather than traveling to remote areas chronically ill or recuperating patients for routine check-ups. Remote patient monitoring is less expensive, more time savings, and efficient methodology. Tele-home care virtual visits might lead to improved home health care quality at reduced costs, greater patient satisfaction with care, increased access to health care providers and fewer patients needing transfer to higher, more costly levels of care. A Computer Telephone Integrated (CTI) system can monitor vital functions of patients twenty four hours a day and give immediate warnings.

Telemedicine empowers Relationship Medicine

Telemedicine enables relationship-based medicine: doctors can maintain the conversation with the patient in a manner that is far more efficient and effective than 100% reliance on traditional encounters; they can serve more patients well. Patients can get attention faster and more conveniently when they need it. This is the most powerful reason that telemedicine is likely to boom.

Telemedicine empowered by Broadband Services

This is expanding because broadband network coverage is improving, patients and doctors are more comfortable with computers, pressure for cost savings is increasing, and an emerging policy consensus favours telemedicine. This all makes sense.

The framework for Information Technology Infrastructure for Health (ITIH)

India

Recognizing the need for a standard system across the country that meets the needs of the diverse groups that record, use, transfer and disseminate health information, legal policies that govern the healthcare structure, and education system to help reinforce the strengths and values of the changing face of Indian healthcare system, and to be able to offer value to the most important stakeholder – the patient. As part of this endeavor, the Department of Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), has undertaken the initiative to prepare the ground for the Information Technology Infrastructure for Healthcare (ITIH) in India.

ISRO’s Telemedicine Network

Telemedicine Projects Mobile

Legal & Ethical: IssuesTelemedicine

Telemedicine technology has been proved and established and its advantages and benefits are well known but still many healthcare professionals are reluctant to engage in such practices due to unresolved legal and ethical concerns. In case of a cross-border tele-consultation which country’s litigation laws will be applied in case– those of the country in which the patient is living or those of the remote physician?

HAVE VISION TO FUTURE IN TELEMEDICINE WORLD IS

CHANGING

Just make use of your Smartphone it is Smart tool for

Medical Resources

References

American Telemedicine Association

Indian Telemedince Network

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Programme Created by Dr.T.V.Rao MD for Medical

Professionals in India

Email

doctortvrao@gmail.com