Fundamentals of telemedicine

Abstract

The Department of Defense has recently devoted significant resources to telemedicine projects. This effort has arisen due to dramatic, parallel developments in telecommunications and computer technology, health care delivery systems, and the military medical mission. Most military health care providers have heard of telemedicine, but few have personal experience with its use, and even fewer understand the technology and the variety of systems available. This review covers the basic principles of telemedicine and describes some of the currently available systems. In addition, the history of telemedicine is briefly reviewed. Finally, ongoing civilian and military projects are discussed. These projects will clearly demonstrate that telemedicine is not a 'technology awaiting an application.' Rather, this powerful clinical tool, which has been successfully utilized in actual patient care for over 30 years, is now ready for widespread implementation in both fixed-facility and field settings.