Taking health telematics into the 21st century.

Abstract

This book is a collection of vignettes divided into 17 chapters addressing issues of telemedicine. The book draws from a wide authorship, principally from the UK and Scandinavia. The evolution of telemedicine and the issues it raises are discussed. There is a strong emphasis given to important medicolegal points, and the impact on health care is evaluated by workers who have developed and now practise telemedicine, mainly from a Scandinavian perspective. Unfortunately, the book has suffered from a lack of editorial attention, with the result that several of the points are duplicated and there is a sense that the chapters are disarticulated. In addition, the book gives only scant mention to equipment purchase and the practical mechanics of setting up a telemedicine system. There is also little attention given to telepathology.