TELEMEDICINE

our 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 patients 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
consumers 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 Services
Primary 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 Programs
Networked 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 links
Telemedicine
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 Efficiencies
Cost 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.
Patients Too Demand
Service
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-Education
Tele-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.
ISROs Telemedicine
Network


Telemedicine Projects
Mobile

Legal & Ethical: Issues
Telemedicine
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 countrys
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
Google Images
Programme Created by
Dr.T.V.Rao MD for Medical
Professionals in India
Email
doctortvrao@gmail.com