| By :
Jamie Simpson
Telemedicine uses internet and telecommunication technology to bring health care to remote areas. To many researchers, the first documented case of telecare took place in 1999 when Dr. Jerri Nielsen diagnosed herself with breast cancer while serving at a research facility in the Antarctic. Although she did her biopsy herself and talked untrained research personnel through procedures she had to experience, she consulted with doctors in the United States through e-mail and teleconferencing. This inventive form of self care opened the door for current technological breakthroughs in providing health care. As shown through Dr. Nielsen's experience, sometimes a consultation is all one needs. Instead of missing work to drive across town and wait for a number of hours in a busy waiting room, patients can communicate with their doctors through the same technology that assisted a woman trapped in Antarctica. Diabetic patients can keep their doctors informed of recent changes in blood sugar levels by sending an email with an excel spread sheet attachment. Patients with high blood pressure can use internet connected blood pressure monitoring systems at local pharmacies and have their results sent directly to their chart. Doctors can read the test results and notify both patient and pharmacist quickly about any change in medication or dosage in a fraction of the time it takes for a traditional checkup. Business and schools can take advantage of telecare by hiring qualified nurse practitioners to run their infirmaries. Nurse practitioners can conduct in-person evaluations of anyone entering the corporate or school infirmary, and then connect over the internet to the person's primary care physician. Once again, the amount of time between urgent care needs and delivery is reduced. Even in the case of a true emergency that requires ambulance transportation, a nurse practitioner can use telemedicine facilities to warn the emergency room of the incoming case. The emergency room staff can be fully briefed and ready to assist the patient as soon as the ambulance arrives. Perhaps the most telling way telemedicine has changed health care comes back to the experience of Dr. Nielsen in Antarctica. It is possible to set up health care stations in remote areas with satellite or internet resources. There is a serious shortage of qualified physicians all over the world. Telecare allows remote locations to contact with doctors who can evaluate conditions through web cameras and health screening equipment. Kiosks that house equipment can be placed in central locations and connected through cable, internet or satellite to a medical office or emergency room. The patient speaks to a web cam and sees his or her doctor on a screen in the kiosk. The doctor can instruct the patient on any equipment that needs to be hooked up for health readings, and then receive the information during the course of the consultation. Virtually any chronic condition can be treated long distance through the use of modern telecommunications technology. Telecare and telemedicine are changing health care by making it truly accessible to all anywhere in the world.
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesbacklink.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
