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A review of telematics in healthcare: evolution, challenges and caveats

H. Heathfield

Telemedicine is a fast-growing field, currently at the forefront of research in healthcare informatics. In this paper, we examine the challenges faced by the advent of telemedicine and the potential impacts on healthcare. We focus on the challenges of communication and collaboration in two areas: clinical applications, and education and training. Telematics its clinical applications, and education and training in healthcare telematics, are closely inter-linked. The provision of quality training and education, both as part of the clinical curriculum and also externally to practising clinicians, will play an important role in the success of telemedicine. Conversely, the development of new telemedicine applications, particularly those that provide information or decision support, is likely to change the role and skills required of clinical practitioners and thus affect the form and content of education programmes. Much work is still necessary to understand how this can best be achieved; small-scale practical studies together with formative multi-perspective evaluation studies are important steps towards realizing these benefits.

Key Words: telematics • telemedicine • teleconsultation • tele-diagnosis • telecare

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