mini MHA
health informatics

According to a recent report to Congress by the US Departments of Commerce and Health and Human Services: "Telemedicine has the potential to make a difference in the lives of any Americans. In remote rural areas, where a patient and the closest health professional can be hundreds of miles apart, telemedicine can mean access to health care where little had been available before. In emergency cases, this access can mean the difference between life and death. In particular, in those cases where fast medical response time and specialty care are needed, telemedicine availability can be critical. For example, a specialist at a North Carolina University Hospital was able to diagnose a rural patient's hairline spinal fracture at a distance, using telemedicine video imaging. The patient's life was saved because treatment wad done on-site without physically transporting the patient to the specialist who was located a great distance away." Telemedicine also has the potential to improve the delivery of health care in America by bringing a wider range of services such as radiology, mental health services and dermatology to underserved communities and individuals in both urban and rural areas. In addition, telemedicine can help attract and retain health professionals in rural areas by providing ongoing training and collaboration with other health professional. From: Telemedicine Report to Congress, January 31, 1997


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