Fundamentals of Telemedicine and Telehealth provides an overview on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to solve health problems, especially for people living in remote and underserviced areas. With the advent of new technologies and improvement of internet connectivity, telehealth has become a new subject requiring a new understanding of IT devices and how to utilize them to fulfill health needs. The book discusses topics such as digitizing patient information, technology requirements, existing resources, planning for telehealth projects, and primary care and specialized applications. Additionally, it discusses the use of telemedicine for patient empowerment and telecare in remote locations. Authored by IMIA Telehealth working group, this book is a valuable source for graduate students, healthcare workers, researchers and clinicians interested in using telehealth as part of their practice or research. - Presents components of healthcare that can be benefitted from remote access and when to rely on them - Explains the current technologies and tools and how to put them to effective use in daily healthcare - Provides legal provisions for telehealth implementation, discussing the risks of remote healthcare provision and cross border care

In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Telemedicine: A Guide to Assessing Telecommunications for Health Care. In that report, the IOM Committee on Evaluating Clinical Applications of Telemedicine found telemedicine is similar in most respects to other technologies for which better evidence of effectiveness is also being demanded. Telemedicine, however, has some special characteristics-shared with information technologies generally-that warrant particular notice from evaluators and decision makers. Since that time, attention to telehealth has continued to grow in both the public and private sectors. Peer-reviewed journals and professional societies are devoted to telehealth, the federal government provides grant funding to promote the use of telehealth, and the private technology industry continues to develop new applications for telehealth. However, barriers remain to the use of telehealth modalities, including issues related to reimbursement, licensure, workforce, and costs. Also, some areas of telehealth have developed a stronger evidence base than others. The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) sponsored the IOM in holding a workshop in Washington, DC, on August 8-9 2012, to examine how the use of telehealth technology can fit into the U.S. health care system. HRSA asked the IOM to focus on the potential for telehealth to serve geographically isolated individuals and extend the reach of scarce resources while also emphasizing the quality and value in the delivery of health care services. This workshop summary discusses the evolution of telehealth since 1996, including the increasing role of the private sector, policies that have promoted or delayed the use of telehealth, and consumer acceptance of telehealth. The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment: Workshop Summary discusses the current evidence base for telehealth, including available data and gaps in data; discuss how technological developments, including mobile telehealth, electronic intensive care units, remote monitoring, social networking, and wearable devices, in conjunction with the push for electronic health records, is changing the delivery of health care in rural and urban environments. This report also summarizes actions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can undertake to further the use of telehealth to improve health care outcomes while controlling costs in the current health care environment.

Telemedicine and telehealth have consistently been shown to be effective for remote areas or limited-resource locations, regular medical and surgical practice, primary care, second opinion, extreme conditions, major crises, and disaster management. The aim of this book is to bring all aspects of telemedicine and e-health to the reader, in a simple, make-sense approach, in one tome. The book is structured in four parts with 29 chapters written by the best experts in the field from around the world, including clinicians, scientists, and administrators of telemedicine programs. Part I deals with basic principles of telemedicine and telepresence. Historical journeys of telemedicine and strategies, building sustainable telemedicine and telehealth programs in the United States and in the Balkans, as well as incorporation of telemedicine in the current ongoing pandemic COVID-19 are well described and are must read. Current technological developments, rules and regulations, legal and business aspects and consent are also addressed. Part II describes strategies for building sustainable telemedicine and telehealth programs. Telehealth patient portals and public-private partnership modes of technology, as well the role of international telemedicine and how to make it work, are valuable chapters of great significance. Part III describes outcomes-based evidence clinical applications of telemedicine in trauma, burns, intensive care, pediatric care, psychiatry, and stroke. Finally, one important chapter for the readers is the telemedicine for prison and jail population. The final part, Part IV depicts surgical telementoring and teleproctoring, a chapter written by 18 various surgical experts, a true gem for the readers. The book ends with promises and hurdles of telemedicine in austere conditions. Telemedicine, Telehealth and Telepresence serves as a valuable resource that focuses on providing patients care from a distance using store and forward technology to live actual performance of operations at a distance.Chapters 1, 6, 12 and 17 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Telemedicineâ€"the use of information and telecommunications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates the participantsâ€"is receiving increasing attention not only in remote areas where health care access is troublesome but also in urban and suburban locations. Yet the benefits and costs of this blend of medicine and digital technologies must be better demonstrated before today's cautious decision-makers invest significant funds in its development. Telemedicine presents a framework for evaluating patient care applications of telemedicine. The book identifies managerial, technical, policy, legal, and human factors that must be taken into account in evaluating a telemedicine program. The committee reviews previous efforts to establish evaluation frameworks and reports on results from several completed studies of image transmission, consulting from remote locations, and other telemedicine programs. The committee also examines basic elements of an evaluation and considers relevant issues of quality, accessibility, and cost of health care. Telemedicine will be of immediate interest to anyone with interest in the clinical application of telemedicine.

Telemedicine and telehealth are changing the face of health care delivery and becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. Dr. Darkins and Dr. Cary share their knowledge and provide practical insights and advice on making telemedicine programs into successful clinical services and a productive business. The book gives background knowledge and useful tips on starting up and managing programs in an array of settings. Most importantly, the book is based on the recognition that patients are customers of health care and telemedicine companies developing new products vital to delivering care to rural or inaccessible clients is vital to health care's future.

In rural and sparsely populated countries, telemedicine can be a vital and life-saving link to health care, and in those regions where demands on hospitals are ever increasing, it can provide a safe and comfortable alternative to hospital-based therapy. The second edition of this introductory guide to telemedicine and telecare services is invaluable to new practitioners in this growing field of medicine. The book describes the benefits of telemedicine and highlights the potential problems. The authors provide numerous examples of how telemedicine is used in the United States, Australia, and Scandinavia.

This book provides an overview of key issues with regards to implementing telemedicine services as well as an in depth overview of telemedicine in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Topics range from specific practices to program development. Telemedicine has experienced explosive growth in recent years and yet, implementing telemedicine solutions is complex with substantial regulatory, legal, financial, logistical, and intra-organization/intra-personal barriers that must be overcome. This book provides the necessary information and guidance to address those complex issues. This book is broadly divided into two parts 1) a primer on requisite steps before embarking on telemedicine service development and 2) specific applications and examples where telemedicine is successfully utilized to improve quality of care in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. The first part includes coverage of telemedicine and finance, regulatory and legal issues, and program development. The second part delves into specifics with information on ambulatory telemedicine programs, inpatient consultations, and tele-ICU programs. All chapters are written by interprofessional authors that are leaders in the field of telemedicine with extensive knowledge of diverse telemedicine programs and robust real-world experience on the topic. This is an ideal guide for telehealth program managers, and pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine professionals interested in improving their telehealth practice.