Technology Solutions

Below are some commonly used telemedicine tools along with their definitions and examples for use. 

Network Infrastructure – Networking infrastructure has to do with the design and organization of a telehealth program from a technical perspective. Telehealth networks are often formed between multiple organizations in order to transfer and share data. These data can be informational audio and/or video. These networks can be designed and organized in multiple different ways that can lead to different levels of effectiveness.

            Network infrastructure may include the following equipment:

1.      Bridges: connect networks together, extend the physical reach of a network

2.      Hubs: a central point of interconnection, share the transmission medium

3.      Switches: similar to bridges but have more logic

4.      Routers: support connectivity between networks that are dissimilar, “smart device”

5.      Gateways: have all the functions of a bridge or router, generally an enterprise level device as they are expensive

This is not including the hardware which is required to support data transmission (DSL, ISDN, T1, etc.)

Video Conferencing – Individuals at two or more locations are able to see and hear one another in real time. This can be done on a range of bandwidths which impacts the quality of the transmission.

            Video conferencing is frequently used in telemedicine.  However, when used in this manner there are sometimes peripheral medical devices employed.  These include stethoscopes, document cameras, digital-scan converters, microscope, hand held patient exam cameras, opthamascope, and a digital camera.

Home Monitoring – Home monitoring is providing monitoring or home health care at a distance through telecommunication technologies. This can be done with a variety of tools including telephones, videophones, the Internet, cell phones, and monitoring systems that are in the home but transfer data to a hospital to keep medical professionals updated on a patient’s care. Services that can be rendered in this manner include social support, medication reminders, and physiologic monitoring.

Medication Management – Medication management is done in an effort to reduce or eliminate nonadherence to medication guidelines. There are multiple ways that technology can assist in this endeavor. For instance, cell phones could be used to remind individuals when to take their medication or a software program could be used to aid medical centers in scheduling patient medication times.  

Store & Forward – Store and forward telemedicine is most frequently done over a data transmission system. In this process information is stored after receipt than forwarded to the necessary location. This system is asynchronous meaning that it works somewhat like an email so that medical professionals can address the items that have been forwarded to them when they have time rather than right when the items come in like they would address a telephone call. Common uses of store and forward include transfer of x-rays, digital photos and audio files.  This is done to obtain opinions from specialists or confirmation of diagnosis.

Health Information Technology – Health information technology or HIT is used to transfer information securely between health care facilities and professionals to manage health care data. HIT increases the efficiency of medical care, reduce errors and decreases costs.