As technology continues to improve, the range of potential used of telemedicine will increase. Telemedicine will offer more beneficial application in preventing disease than curing disease

Saran Soeung

Technology has enabled people to access a variety of advanced services including health, education, or trade. One of these, technologies which have played a significant role in the health sector is commonly known as ‘telemedicine’. The term ‘telemedicine’ has been defined in disparate meaning. However, here it is referred to the provision of medical service through information technology and telecommunication such as videoconference or asynchronous (Wild, 2004). In recent years, it can be seen that there are number of newly developed medical clinics where high-technology equipment is being equipped for different purposes. The presence of telemedicine allows patients in remote areas to be able to access health services, including prevention and curing. Discernibly, telemedicine application is likely to provide more advantages in terms of disease prevention than curing disease. The following essay will discuss extensively on the benefits of telemedicine applications toward preventing and curing disease.

One of the most crucial functions of telemedicine toward disease prevention is tele-monitoring. Tele-monitoring or as it is called ‘case management’ will give an opportunity to doctors to follow up patients’ condition and spontaneously provide them with medical assistance by using mobile phone inspection. An old man, for example, who has hypertension may want to stay at home rather than hospital, but he requires more medical assistance while he is at home. In response to this and with the purpose of saving cost, a doctor can implant a small part sensor with which all activities of patient can be monitored. By providing this kind of technology, the symptom of an illness can be automatically controlled and sent to hospital and the medical assistance can be provided periodically or whenever the patient encounters a problem (Pallant, 2009, 22-23). Indeed, the patients need only see doctor whenever it is necessary.

A further function of telemedicine toward disease prevention is tele-consultation. This initiative is to respond to myriad of patients who are not able to access clinical consultation due to a dearth of doctors and poor communication infrastructure, in particular, for those who are living in underserved remote areas. A solid and successful example about this is from Tristan da Cunha Island which is located in the middle of South Atlantic, the remotest location in the world (Unknown, 2009). If, previously, residents were sick, they would not be able to access to medical assistance easily as there was no mode of transportation for sending patients to hospital. Despite this, Project Tristan was established by using medical technology and that medical services can be provided accordingly. By using tele-consultation, the patients have chance to talk directly with experts and discuss their concerns as if they are consulting with specialists in person.

Even though telemedicine applications have been evolving for disease prevention, its development has been used in different aspects for curing disease. Telesurgery and robotics is one aspect of disease treatment by using technology. The term ‘telesurgery’ refers to a surgery in which the surgeon is not at the patient’s immediate side and use tele-electronic device (Standberry, 2001). The goal of using telesurgery is to make surgical expertise available for those who are inaccessible to doctors. The telesurgery is made possible by using robotic aids together with microcamera and optical instrument. A microcamera is used to project images from patients and displayed on the videoscreen which can be viewed by surgical doctors who will give instruction to other doctors in the surgical room with the patients. This can be illustrated by a presentation of James P Marcin, MD, who showed a robotic surgery taken place in India where a child in a chronic condition and got a robotic surgery (Marcin, Unknown). In short, telesurgery and robotics has played a significant role in medical treatment and surgery where experts are inaccessible.

Another advantage of telemedicine applications in curing disease is telediagnosis. According to medical dictionary the term ‘telediagnosis’ is a diagnosis that is made at a remote location and is based on the evaluation of data transmitted from electronic instruments that monitor the patient and a transfer data to a diagnostic center. The idea of telediagnosis is to improve and provide patients in underserved areas with medical services, which is a basic need for all. One demonstration of this is the availability of medical service by using communication technologies for Cambodian indigenous people in Ratanakiri province where a telemedicine service was established in 2003 in Banlung District Referral Hospital (Pabico, 2004). Initially, patients are selected regarding their condition. The patients get checked by a nurse and their conditions are transmitted to specialists in Phnom Penh or Boston via a wireless internet connection. The comments from the experts are sent back in the following day. A team of doctors in Banlung holds discussion about the assessment and recommendations from the expert and treat the patient accordingly. This practice allows around 10 patients a month to get medically treated and they are not required to travel long distances.

Taken to its conclusion, technology has made large scale medical service available to different kind of patients, particularly for those who are living in underserved remote areas or in hazardous environments. This kind of initiative has provided a number of benefits to patients since they will be able to save their time and money and they, furthermore, have a chance to consult with and/or be treated by experts. In the meantime, the doctors are able to diagnose more accurately, while the treatment can be conducted even more precisely. However, the benefits of telemedicine applications toward disease prevention and disease treatment do not neutralize. It may well be projected that in the future telemedicine applications will be more beneficial towards treatment such as robotic surgery and this will allow more and more patients who are living in the different parts of the globe to access the latest medical technology. In my personal view, telemedicine should be applied in a limited level so as to ensure that it does not harm the patients but provide them with specialized service.

Bibliography

Marcin, J. P. (Director). (Unknown). Telemedicine: An Evolving Tool for Improving Health Care Access and Delivery [Motion Picture].

Pabico, A. P. (2004). Telemedicine Brings Care to Indigenous Peoples. Retrieved 2011, from http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=25485

Standberry, S. (2001, 12 20). Wiley Online Library. Retrieved 04 2011, from Journal of Internal Medicine: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2796.2001.00699.x/pdf

Unknown. (2009). Telemedicine. In P. H. John Slaght, English for Academic Study (pp. 22-24). UK: Garnet Education.

Wild, S. (2004, 02 14). The Telemedicine Revolution. Retrieved 04 2011, from Wound Care Logistics: http://www.woundcarelogistics.co.uk/pdf/Bibliography/The%20Telemedicine%20Revolution.pdf