telemedicine

[‚tel·ə′med·ə·sən] (medicine) The use of teleconferencing in medical diagnosis and treatment, allowing rural health-care facilities to perform diagnosis and treatment that would otherwise be available only in metropolitan areas.

telemedicine

("long distance" medicine) Telemedicine may refer to any diagnosis or medical procedure performed over a communications link; however, the term was first used for videoconferencing links between rural healthcare facilities and medical centers. A specialist monitors the patient remotely taking cues from the general practitioner or nurse who is actually examining the patient. A patient's blood can be placed under a microscope in the remote facility and transmitted for examination. See telehealth, telesurgery and robotic surgery.

Telemedicine's "FRED"

In the mid-1990s, the Friendly Rollabout Engineered for Doctors was one of the first telemedicine units that helped specialists collaborate worldwide. The handheld camera (top right) was used for close-ups. (Image courtesy of VTEL Corporation.)

telemedicine

[tel″ĕ-med´ĭ-sin] a branch of telehealth consisting of provision of consultant services by off-site health care professionals to those on the scene; diagnosis and treatment can be done at a great distance through methods such as the videoconference or rapid transmission of files" >digital files.

telemedicine

(tĕl′ĭ-mĕd′ĭ-sĭn)n. The use of telecommunications technology to provide, enhance, or expedite health care services, as by accessing offsite databases, linking clinics or physicians' offices to central hospitals, or transmitting x-rays or other diagnostic images for examination at another site.

tel′e·med′i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj.

telemedicine

Informatics
Any form of medical practice in which diagnostic information (e.g., telecytology, telemetry, telemicroscopy, telepathology, or teleradiology) is transmitted for analysis by a physician, who performs teleconsultation; telemedicine focuses on provider aspects of healthcare telecommunications, especially medical imaging. This includes the use of electronic media to communicate between patients and clinicians or between clinicians on more than one site.
Main types
Store and forward (e.g., email picture as an attachment to a dermatologist), synchronous (e.g., videoconferencing to discuss patient, X-ray or lab result).
Medspeak-UK
The use of interactive audiovisuals and data transfer to diagnose and treat disease, teach/educate and transfer medical information.

telemedicine

Informatics Any form of medical practice in which diagnostic information–eg, telecytology, telemetry, telemicroscopy, telepathology, or teleradiology, is transmitted from a distance to a physician for analysis, who performs teleconsultation; telemedicine focuses on provider aspects of healthcare telecommunications, especially medical imaging. See Telemetry.

tel·e·med·i·cine

(telĕ-medi-sin) The practice of medicine over a distance where the patient and doctor interact remotely, usually using a computer and a computer-mounted camera.

telemedicine

Medical activity in which written, audible and visual communication between doctor and patient, or between medical personnel, is conducted at long range via a communication network such as the Internet or an intranet. This communication can include teleconferencing, teleconsultation, teleradiology, distance learning and the performing of surgical operations at a remote distance from the patient. Telemedicine broadens the scope of consultation and makes access to experts easier. It can effect considerable savings in medical costs. See also MEDICAL COMPUTING.