1. What is telemedicine?

 
TITLE: TELEMEDICINE

Telemedicine, a term coined in the 1970s, which literally means “ healing at a distance”
(1), signifies the use of ICT to improve patient outcomes by increasing access to
care and medical information.

Recognizing that there is no one definitive definition of telemedicine – a 2007 study found
104 peer-reviewed definitions of the word (2) – the World Health Organization has
adopted the following broad description: 

“The delivery of health care services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health care
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 the continuing education of health care providers, all in the interests of
advancing the health of individuals and their communities” (mao gyud ata ni standard
definition)

Four elements are relevant to telemedicine: 

1. Its purpose is to provide clinical support. 

2. It is intended to overcome geographical barriers, connecting users who are not in the
same physical location. 
3. It involves the use of various types of ICT. 
4. Its goal is to improve health outcomes.

OTHER SOURCE:

Telemedicine is the delivery of healthcare and the exchange of health-care information

across distances. It is not a technology or a separate or new branch of medicine.
Telemedicine episodes may be classified on the basis of: (1) the interaction between the
client and the expert (i.e. real time or prerecorded), and (2) the type of information
being transmitted (e.g. text, audio, video).

2. How is telemedicine different in face-to-face consultation?

TITLE: FACE-TO-FACE CONSULTATION

Telemedicine Face-to-Face Consultation

Time Spent Shorter Longer

Affective behavior patterns (facilitation- Less evident  More evident

utterance, empathy-utterance and
praise-utterance)

Amount of data taken for the medical Lesser amount of patient- More amount of patient-
records related medical information related medical information
obtained obtained

Satisfaction Patients satisfied; doctors Patients satisfied; doctors

dissatisfied satisfied