Telehealth

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Telehealth is the delivery of health related services and information via telecommunications technologies. It may be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone, or as sophisticated as using satellite technology to broadcast a consultation between providers at facilities in two countries, using videoconferencing equipment or robotic technology.

'Telehealth' is an expansion of the functionality Telemedicine and unlike Telemedicine (which focuses on the curative aspect) it encompasses Preventive, Promotive AND curative aspects. originally used to describe administrative or educational functions related to telemedicine today the stress is on practising TeleHealth and not Telemedicine, given that the technology , infrastructure and manware requirements are literally the same. Now that physicians use email to communicate with patients, and drug prescriptions and other health services are being offered on the Web, 'telehealth' is generally used as an umbrella term to describe all the possible variations of healthcare services using telecommunications.

Contents

[edit] Clinical uses of telehealth technologies:

  • Transmission of medical images for diagnosis (often referred to as store and forward telehealth)
  • Groups or individuals exchanging health services or education live via videoconference (real-time telehealth)
  • Transmission of medical data for diagnosis or disease management (sometimes referred to as remote monitoring)
  • Advice on prevention of diseases and promotion of good health by patient monitoring and followup.
  • Health advice by telephone in emergent cases(referred to as teletriage)

[edit] Nonclinical uses of telehealth technologies include:

  • Distance education including continuing medical education, grand rounds, and patient education
  • Administrative uses including meetings among telehealth networks, supervision, and presentations
  • Research
  • Online information and health data management

[edit] Telehealth Modes

[edit] Store and Forward Telehealth

In store and forward telehealth, digital images, video, audio and clinical data are captured and 'stored' on the client computer; then at a convenient time transmitted securely ('forwarded')to a specialist hospital at another location where they are studied by the relevant specialist. The opinion of the specialist is then transmitted back. Based on the requirements of the participating healthcare entities, this round trip could take between 2 to 48 hours. In many store and forward specialties, such as teleradiology, an immediate response is not critical. Dermatology, radiology, and pathology are common specialties that are conducive to store and forward technologies.

[edit] Real Time Telehealth

In real time telehealth a telecommunications link between the involved parties allows a real-time interaction to take place. Video-conferencing equipment is one of the most common forms of technologies used in synchronous telemedicine. There are also peripheral devices which can be attached to computers or the video-conferencing equipment which can aid in an interactive examination. Now-a-days, with the availability of better and cheaper communication channels, direct two way audio and video streaming between centers, in real time, through computers, is becoming common. This has contributed to lowering of costs in Telehealth.

Examples of real-time clinical telehealth include"

[edit] Remote Monitoring

In remote monitoring, sensors are used to capture and transmit biometric data. For example, a tele-eeg device monitors the electrical activity of a patients brain and then transmits that data to a specialist. This could be done in either real time or the data could be stored and then forwarded.

Examples of remote monitoring include:

  • Home Based Nocturnal Dialysis [1]
  • Cardiac and Multi-parameter monitoring of remote ICUs
  • Home Telehealth
  • Disease management

[edit] Benefits of Telehealth

Telehealth is a benefit in countries where the traditional delivery of health services are impacted on by distance and lack of local specialist clinicians to deliver services could benefit. The rate of adoption of telehealth services in any country or jurisdiction is frequently influenced by factors such as the adequacy and cost of existing conventional health services in meeting patient needs; the policies of governments and/or insurers with respect to coverage and payment for telehealth services; and medical licensing requirements that may prohibit or deter the provision of telehealth second opinions or primary consultations by physicians not licensed in the jurisdiction where the patient resides.

The terms e-health and telemedicine are at times interchanged with telehealth. Like the terms "medicine" and "health care", telemedicine often refers only to the provision of clinical services while the term telehealth can refer to both clinical and non-clinical services such as medical education, administration, and research. The term e-health is often, particularly in the UK and Europe, used as an umbrella term that includes telehealth, electronic medical records, and other components of health IT.

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

  • Telemedicine,Telehealth, and the Consumer Online introduction and primer to telehealth and telemedicine from the Telemedicine Information Exchange
  • Norris, A. C. (2002). Essentials of Telemedicine and Telecare. West Sussex, England; New York: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN 0-47-153151-0.
  • Maheu, Marlene M.; Whitten, Pamela; & Allen, Ace (2001). E-Health, Telehealth, and Telemedicine: A Guide to Start-up and Success. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. ISBN 0-78-794420-3.

[edit] See also

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