| By :
Jamie Simpson
The phrase developing world is used to describe nations and regions that lack basic infrastructure such as improved roads, municipal power, water, and sewage systems as well as access to higher learning and healthcare. Typically these regions also lack robust telecommunications often relying on poorly constructed terrestrial phone services and the occasional cell phone network. While great efforts are made to provide basic services such and medical care, dental care, and basic public health services, worldwide resources are spread very thin. In developing regions, the political, economic, and logistical hurdles often make access to healthcare nearly impossible. The healthcare shortages in the developing world directly affect developed regions of the world. Often, new diseases emerge first in developing regions. Without proper surveillance, these diseases can quickly spread and the concern is that the world will be unprepared for the next pandemic New technologies are being deployed today to extend resources and overcome the logistical problems that hamper basic healthcare. Telecare is the term used to refer to the use of technology to remotely monitor patients, conduct patient examinations, and provide expert guidance to in-field healthcare workers. Tools such as cell phones, satellite phones, web cameras, and video conferencing now allow specialist to consult with local doctors and aid workers. These same technologies are also being used to train healthcare workers in the field, provide epidemiological surveillance, provide mental health services, and ensure patient treatment compliance. Technology can also be used to provide preventative services. For instance, we know that providing prenatal and neonatal education to parents reduces infant mortality and can help reduce disease incidence in small communities. These courses can be developed to be delivered over cell phones and laptops. The importance of telecare in the developing world cannot be understated. Already technology is improving and saving lives in regions such as Nepal, Western, and Central Africa. Despite political and economic upheaval, some regions are finding support from local, national, and global telecommunication companies. Never-the-less, equipment and telecommunication services can be very expensive. In central Africa, a cell phone with a built in camera may cost as much as two months wages. In many ways we have reached a tipping point in world health. We are so mobile and so interconnected that a disease outbreak in the farthest corner of the world can reach each of us in a matter of months. Yet, we still lack the ability to provide basic healthcare to a large portion of the world's population. It is vital that developing nations find the resources necessary to implement telecare services to remote regions. Doing so will take political and financial commitments from governments and private industry. Support from other sectors is critical. Our healthcare workers will need to be trained to understand and use new technologies; this presents a new challenge to colleges and universities. Professional telecommunication workers are already playing a vital role in healthcare. In developing regions, they may be as scarce and as valuable as a nurse or doctor.
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