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Telemedicine, telehealth and e-health are terms that are used interchangeably. However there are some subtle differences in their definitions.
Telemedicine itself can be defined as the use of telecommunication to provide diagnostic and therapeutic medical information between a patient and doctor without either of them having to travel.
Telehealth on the other hand is a more generic term to describe a wider definition of telemedicine. It is the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to deliver health services, expertise and information over a distance.
However, e-Health is more broader than either telemedicine or telehealth and can be described as an emerging field in the intersection of medical informatics, public health and business, that enables health services and information to be delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies.
Central to all these definitions is that the use of information and communication technology, such as the Internet, is required for long distance health services delivery. The use of the Internet in telemedicine is likely to increase as more healthcare organizations switch to broadband Internet connections.
Other basic requirements for telemedicine include: 1) Expert advice must be available at the site being referred to. 2) A sufficient description of the problem being referred or services required from a medical opinion. 3) Adequate time should be given for an assessment of all requests.
The amount of time required for a response from the expert from the other side would depend on the type of telemedicine being practised. There are basically two types of telemedicine:
Store-and-Forward Telemedicine: This is used for transferring digital images from one location to another. Images are captured with digital cameras or still video, and sent to another location. They are attached with a summary of the case in text (usually by email). This type of telemedicine is usually not used in emergency situations, as specialist review cases when convenient. There is no limit to the physical distance between the origin and the destination of the image.
Real-time video linking: This method is used when a 'face-to-face' consultation is necessary. It is usually between the patient and their provider in one location and a specialist in another location. Specialized video conferencing equipment at both locations allows a 'real-time' consultation to take place. High bandwidth communication channels (ISDN lines) are necessary, although this type of telemedicine is now within reach of the desktop computers connected to the Internet.
It is possible to combine any of the two to suit the needs of the organization.