Introduction to Telehealth

Clinical uses of telehealth technologies

• Transmission of medical images for diagnosis (often referred to as store and forward telehealth)
• Groups or individuals exchanging health services or education live via videoconference (real-time telehealth)
• Transmission of medical data for diagnosis or disease management (sometimes referred to as remote monitoring)
• Advice on prevention of diseases and promotion of good health by patient monitoring and followup.
• Health advice by telephone in emergent cases (referred to as teletriage)

Nonclinical uses of telehealth technologies

• Distance education including continuing medical education, grand rounds, and patient education
• administrative uses including meetings among telehealth networks, supervision, and presentations
• research on telehealth
• online information and health data management
• healthcare system integration
• asset identification, listing, and patient to asset matching, and movement
• overall healthcare system management
• patient movement and remote admission