Telemedicine refers to any medical action done at a distance. For some tasks this is a very easy, and does not really need the physical doctor-patient contact. Or the contact can be replaced by video cameras and touch-sensitive data gloves.
For instance, interpreting EKG, EEG or X Ray images is often done with the hard data alone. Actually, starting a marketplace for those interpretations could be a still virgin starting point. With Medicine going more and more the way of biochemical, electrical or other physical tests, there are always more data to be analyzed. Some of those data can be very complex, like the EEG, and benefit for computer treatment for signal improvement and processing. I am currently advisor in a project for Computerized Polygraph testing for the Federal Police in my country. Images provided by X Ray, Tomography, Photography, Microscopy or Sonography can also be computer-enhanced, compared and stored, before expert interpretation, all of which can be done remotely. This opens the field of
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Telemedicine for almost every medical specialty.
The few exceptions are those practices where direct contact is required, like taking samples, feeling, smelling or operating. And still, some of them can be left to nurses, technicians or beginning physicians, with remote supervision by experienced professionals.
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Developing software able to analyze instrumental data is another form of Telemedicine that already started to grow.
Health has always been a conservative area, doctors are known to be anti-computing technology, and lawyers are anxiously waiting to take action against every little mistake or data glitch. But still, there is a lot do in this area, with enormous potential for growth and wealth.
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Personal View
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I took part in a successful project where overweight patients were followed by phone, to ensure they took the medication, followed the diet and lost weight. The phone calls really helped them to comply. |
I cannot wait for Telemedicine to mature and allow me to work from home and collect as if I was in a fancy American clinic. |