Telemedicine Applications and Challenges

Telemedicine has the potential to help bridge the time and distance gaps that can mean life or death for some patients. It can provide live video conferencing between local, rural doctors and clinics to the necessary specialists at a major hospital or research center. These conferences can provide quick and accurate diagnosis and save both the patient and the doctor time and money. This article presents a background on telemedicine including components, applications and benefits of telemedicine, challenges and trends in telemedicine, and conclusion with some direction for future research in telemedicine.