Introduction to Telemedicine, second edition

In rural and sparsely populated countries, telemedicine can be a vital and life-saving link to health care, and in those regions where demands on hospitals are ever increasing, it can provide a safe and comfortable alternative to hospital-based therapy. The second edition of this introductory guide to telemedicine and telecare services is invaluable to new practitioners in this growing field of medicine. The book describes the benefits of telemedicine and highlights the potential problems. The authors provide numerous examples of how telemedicine is used in the United States, Australia, and Scandinavia.

List of contributors Foreword to the first edition Preface to the first edition Preface to the second edition SECTION ONE: BACKGROUND 1. Introduction to the practice of telemedicine 2. Telemedicine systems and communication SECTION TWO: TELEMEDICINE APPLICATIONS 3. Prerecorded telemedicine 4. Realtime telemedicine 5. Tele-education SECTION THREE: HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT TELEMEDICINE 6. Defining the needs of a telemedicine service 7. Successfully developing a telemedicine system 8. Evaluating telemedicine systems and services 9. How to do a telemedicine consultation SECTION FOUR: OTHER ASPECTS OF TELEMEDICINE 10. Benefits and drawbacks of telemedicine 11. Legal and ethical aspects of telemedicine 12. Sources of information on telemedicine 13. Telemedicine in the future 14. Conclusion Index

Richard WoottonCentre for Online Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaJohn CraigDepartment of Neurology, Royal Victoria Hospital, BelfastVictor PattersonDepartment of Neurology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast; Centre for Online Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia