Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 45 No. 3, 2006.
Case report
The Development of Telemedicine in Improving Access to Health Care in Remote and Isolated Areas
Tea Carić
Ozren Ðerek
Drago Carić
Abstract
Telemedicine is a relatively new way of clinical practice. It enables rapid access to remote medical expertise by means of telecommunication and information technologies, no matter where the patient or relevant expertise is located. The focus of the telemedicine project was to improve access to quality health services and to reduce the isolation of remote health care. Almost every clinical specialty has used telemedicine in some way, even though radiologists, cardiologists, dermatologists, and psychiatrists have been the clinical specialists most actively involved in telemedicine. In order to put the system to life in the isolated areas such as islands, it is necessary to keep the system functioning 24 hours a day. The need for consultations through telemedicine appears in real time, and not at an expected moment. With the development of a new information age telemedicine has been slowly incorporating into all aspects of medical practice.
Keywords
Telemedicine - utilization; Quality Assurance health care; Primary health care; Technology assessment; Rural health; Croatia - island
Hrčak ID:
14066
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2006.
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