Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Interactive telemedicine services are real-time clinician-patient interactions that, in the
conventional approach, require face-to-face encounters between a patient and a physician
or other health care provider. Examples of clinician-interactive services that might be
delivered by telemedicine include online office visits, consultations, hospital visits, tele-
phone conversations, and home visits, as well as a variety of specialized examinations
and procedures.
10.2.2 Telehealth or e
Health
Electronic health (e-health) is much broader than telemedicine or telehealth. It covers the
use of digital data transmitted electronically-for clinical, educational, and administrative
applications-both locally and at a distance. Telehealth evolved from telemedicine and,
in addition to the curative aspect upon which telemedicine itself is primarily focused,
it also concentrates on health promotion and preventive measures, with heavy reliance
on technology to provide solutions. Telehealth uses video conferencing and supporting
technologies to put patients in touch with health professionals across distances. It is
especially useful in remote areas where patients, particularly the elderly and those with
young children, would otherwise have to travel long distances to meet health professionals.
It also provides access to a wider range of specialist advice and services and delivers faster,
more efficient health care by using technology to remove the distance barrier.
In the simplest form of store-and forward-mode, basic vital signs like blood pressure,
weight, pulse oximeter, and blood sugar values are monitored and trended for long-term
chronic care.
In real-time or interactive mode a telecommunications link allows instantaneous interac-
tive examination by using peripheral devices attached to computers. Examples of real-time
services under the aegis of telehealth include audiology, cardiology, dentistry, mental
health, neurology, nursing, radiology, and rehabilitation.
In an effort to enhance the real-time telehealth experience, Google Health, a personal
health information centralization service (sometimes known as personal health record
services), recently began establishing relationships with telehealth providers that allow
their users to synchronize the data shared during telehealth consultations with their online
health records. In remote monitoring, sensors are used to capture and transmit biometric
data. For example, a tele-electroencephalogram monitors the activity of a person's brain
and then transmits the data to a specialist in either real-time or store-and-forwardmode.
Remote monitoring may include video conferencing, messaging reminder, and surveil-
lance questioning, and/or one or more sensors, such as electrocardiogram, pulse oximetry,
vital signs, weight, glucose, and movement or position detectors, all undertaken between
sessions with his/her physician. The benefits of telehealth include fewer hospital incar-
ceration periods and emergency room visits as well as a reduced need to attend distant
health centers [7].
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10.2.3 Telepalpation, Remote Palpation, or Artificial Palpation
Tissue palpation is a conventional method to determine the characteristics and possible
anomalies in touched tissues. This technique is not applicable in minimally invasive
situations, as the surgeon no longer has direct access to the tissue and must operate solely
