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According to Alexander Vo, an associate professor in preventive medicine and community health, telemedicine is a helpful measure to be taken in order to help patients from a remote location. However, he says that problems have arose when telemedicine was used in relation to diaster relief. One example given is the earthquake in Haiti, when many technologies were donated by companies in order to promote the use of telemedicine for immediate disaster relief. Vo says that this technology was not used, especially within the first few weeks, because the locations were staffed with enough doctors. Further, even if the technology could be used, the doctors were not trained to use it, and there was no time to train them at that moment.Only after the voluntary doctors went back to their home towns could they be of any use in regard to telemedicine. The patients in need of special care could then connect with the doctors in the remote areas, however, there could be problems if the internet was down, or if the necessary hardware was destroyed due to the diaster. Even though the egagement in telemedicine was not the best for Haiti, it was seen to be of great help for a hurricane in Texas recently. Vo explains that telemedicine was successful because it was already established within the communities. The technology was available throughout the affected areas, and could be put to use immediately. The use of cell phones was also crucial, because many of the patients had pre-established access to doctors who could help diagnose and alleviate the problems of the patients in affected areas. Because the protocols were established prior to the disasters, the care was planed out to be available to the most amount of patients. Plans in advance can also taken into account the problem of damaged internet service, cables, and networks, and determine what the best plan of action is given the situation. Thus, the relief would allow the affected area to be back on track quickly, and efficientl

Very old article: I wonder what is going on now. It's hoped that from this start in Bangalore, telemedicine will grow and grow - a spectacular way of overcoming distance and time in tackling severe medical problems.

Very old article: I wonder what is going on now. It's hoped that from this start in Bangalore, telemedicine will grow and grow - a spectacular way of overcoming distance and time in tackling severe medical problems.

Very old article: I wonder what is going on now. It's hoped that from this start in Bangalore, telemedicine will grow and grow - a spectacular way of overcoming distance and time in tackling severe medical problems.

This articles with the solutions that were created by telemedicine during the disastrous earthquake. Much similar to victims in Argentina or those in Argentina who don't have telemedicine, those victims in Haiti are being treated through telemedicine. After the unfortunate earthquake in Haiti, the University of the Miami took into their own hands to set up various tents around Haiti. Besides having very little medicine, Haiti also had a communication problem. These from the University of Miami were not able to communicate with those from the United State. Therefore, they set up real time technology as a form of communication in order to consult colleagues at the University of Florida. Two devices about the size of a laptop were donated to them, and the satellite telephone, internet and video camera contained in each allowed the doctors to communicate with each other. These satellites allowed doctors to conduct and give prescriptions as well as well as communicate to other doctors of those patients who needed to evacuated from the are and taken to the United States for Health care. This article also talks about doctors who are using cellphones in order to take pictures and perform x-rays. There are a variety of stakeholders in relation to the satellites that are allowing the doctors from the University a Miami to perform their real time operations for their consultations and for prescribing medicine. One of these stakeholders would be the people or victims in haiti. After the Earthquake, many were left in dangerous need of assistance, and without these satellites, there would be no way in which they could communicate with people in the United States (The University in Miami) in order to get proper prescriptions. These are very important stakeholders, because if the people of Haiti aren't provided with this form of telemedicine, they would not be able to get treated for the illnesses/injuries that occurred to them during the earthquake. Another stake holder is the U

niversity of Miami. Without these satellites, they would not be able to do their job. This is the only form of communication they have with their fellow doctos in the United States. In the Article, is specifies that the doctors had a hard time creating forms of communication in Haiti, therefore if the satellites do not function, the doctors from UMiami, would not be able to prescribe medicine to the victims, and the victims would not be able to get their treatment. Social and Ethical issues then arrive from the Article and the IT system. These satellites that allow for communication and telemedicine are breaking down the digital divide. Specifically in the article, it states that Haiti did not have doctors and that form of technology in order to perform telemedicine. These satellites and bringing them to Haiti was breaking down a digital divide, in which it was giving them the IT that other countries were already familiar and working with. Another Social/Ethical issue that arrives from the IT system is Globalization. In the way in which it breaks down cultural, economic, or divisions causes by a countries location to another. The IT system allows for those in Haiti to communicate with those in the United States. Therefore, it is creating or breaking down any divisions that were previously there because of their location as countries. Another major Social/Ethical issue that arrises is Reliability. The doctors from the University of Miami are relying on these satellites in order to perform their job. If there is an issue on their reliability, it would be catastrophic to the worked (not having any form of communication with their colleagues) as well as the people who would no source of medicine through the real time consultations.

"Mrs Watt's local hospital is in Fraserburgh. She was seen by a local doctor who then decided to link up by video with specialists at the A&E department in Aberdeen. After assessing the injury they decided Mrs Watt needed to travel the 40 miles into the city to have the break properly reset and plastered. Mr Ferguson explained that the use of telemedicine had proved crucial. "All the local casualty departments throughout NHS Grampian have got a video conferencing link through to us. "Already today we've seen more than 20 patients that way and only three have had to come into Aberdeen. "All the rest have been treated locally which of course saves people travelling in this weather and saves time and resources here.""

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After the January earthquake in Haiti, many people were left under extremely bad health conditions, with little or no health care being at their service. Haiti is a poor country, and with a natural disaster like that occurring, medical treatment for those that required it to the minimal extent was rare, let alone for the people that needed to be operated upon (such as surgical patients). The solution that some United States officials found after attempting to help Haiti with this issue was telehealth, better known as telemedicine; telemedicine was initially used for space astronauts back in the 1960s. In the situation with Haiti however (better known as "real-time"), it essentially involves a video-conference between a patient and a health professional and/or doctor in a different location (often times in hospitals or offices). Also during certain operations however, a doctor at the scene will be conferencing with a specialist at a different geographical location through the uses and benefits of telemedicine. The main IT system involved in this situation with telemedicine is satellite connections. A satellite communication system requires a satellite to function. Thus, a satellite is in high orbit over the Earth (stationary or geosynchronous, which means that the speed of the satellite is complementary to the speed of the rotaion of the Earth, thus it will always remain above the same spot). A satellite dish on Earth is then directed at the satellite, and all the signals (voice & data information, television signals, etc.) are transmitted on an uplink. The satellite itself (while still in orbit outer space) has a receiving antenna mechanism which is able to capture the incoming signals towards it and is able to diverge them through an amplifying network.

continued.... After this process, it then re-transmits the signals to the designated receivers (these signals are waves that go upon a certain frequency). Depending on what the frequencies are, when it comes to telemedicine, the frequencies are repudicated for an instance, and the digital data is then linked to set receivers. These data packets are routed through satellite, which makes the end (whether it is a phone call or the merging of voice and data transmission such as video-conferencing) come along. The satellite may be compared to a ground-based signal, in which the signal points upward and it is later reflected down back at the user/client. Therefore, with sufficient bandwidth, Haiti is running on high-speed Internet access. As a result of this IT system involved (as well as the use of telemedicine), social and ethical issues emerge. The use of such IT devices and systems such as satellite linkage and telemedicine through video-conferencing was not present in Haiti even before the earthquake. However, with the aid of other countries, more advanced form of health care came into view. This is a breakthrough from the digital divide, where Haiti was not able to provide proper medical care for its citizens. Another issue that comes into play (vexing from the digital divide) is globalization. Doctors on the seen are able to provide their patients with the best care by either consulting a specialist from a remote area far away, or the patients who require health care have video-conferences with doctors in order to discuss health related issues. This breaks down the barrier in which Haitians were facing with little or no medical support.

"For over a decade now, health care experts have been promoting telemedicine, or the use of satellite technology, video conferencing and data transfer through phones and the Internet, to connect doctors to patients in far-flung locales. But are doctors ready for this form of technology?"

Please read this news item and add a thoughtful comment that shows how this article helps you think differently about the Case Study for 2010

Benefits of telemedicine: ""What we found was pretty amazing," he said. "Out of 30 patients, only three had to be airlifted. If we didn't have telemedicine, all the 30 would have had to come to Sydney." "

Critics also worry about possible negative effects on patient care. VA's inspector general recently investigated two deaths at a Colorado VA hospital that occurred while the patients were being monitored by cardiac telemetry, a form of telemedicine. "We substantiated the allegation that there were competency and training issues with medical support assistants and registered nurses assigned to telemetry," the IG wrote in the report dated Jan. 21. The report also notes that hospital managers had been informed of the telemetry problems before the deaths but had taken no action. VA managers agreed to evaluate the telemetry program in Colorado to ensure safety, and Linkous and Casscells said it was likely an isolated incident. However, more of the same can be expected, Deal predicts. "The rapid growth of the telemedicine industry will leave gaps in training and/or policy among its practitioners, which could spark an increase in litigation," he said.

The USAID and FCC are currently working together trying to find the best ways to take advantage of telemedecine during natural disasters. Yet, it's not really the idea of promoting it's usage for many nations have already began using it to recover and aid those whom were highly wounded, or even those who weren't harmed to make sure they continue being healthy through telemedicine. The point of the unity between these two organizations is to improve it's usage so that connectivity is best no matter the type of natural disaster. It has been noticed that connectivity was a problem, causing an issue of reliability since doctors can no longer contact their patients due to loss in service. The telemedicine depends on the wireless networks available. Because a natural disaster has occur, many of these networks are no longer available since satellite dishes are destroyed and no longer work. Plus, many of the computers can become damaged internally and cause inaccaurate data within a telemedicine database. More than a millions dollars was given to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) so that improvements could be made immediately, in order to prevent the upcoming disasters. This will be tested during actual disasters, and later be improved after studying it's effects on network connections. But currently, computer scientists are creating the telemedicine to be provided on mobile devices such as a cell phone which can easily use RFID to track were a person is, or barcode scans to scan patient's papers to be sent into the medical field. This form of mobile telemedicine will impact greatly towards natural disasters for the reason that is mobile, unlike computer desktops.

The article speaks about the growth of telemedicine in the rural parts of India. It focuses on the advantages telemedicine provides the people living in the rural areas of India and how it is not only able to avoid serious conditions such as blindness but also how early detection can help them undergo an operation at a much cheaper rate. In this a local villager does not have to go to a hospital for diagnosis but is able to go to a local village and a doctor sitting in the hospital is able to treat via video conference which is conducted on a wi-fi network using webcams.

"What IBM has shown is that with some simple off-the-shelf components and some clever software, telemedicine can give patients back one of the most precious things their treatment takes from them: their time."

But not everyone on dialysis now needs to visit the hospital every other day. Jonas Drawitsch lives 40km from Heidelberg's children's clinic but thanks to a system set up by IBM, he puts in his six hours of dialysis during his sleep and doctors check his progress at a distance. Every day Jonas takes his blood pressure and weighs himself. The measurements go via bluetooth to a mobile phone which then sends the information to the hospital.

"New studies determine that telemedicine is the key to transforming healthcare by making medical care more accessible and convenient to patients while reducing cost. Solutions are needed in response to the following problems that plague patients and practitioners in today's inefficient U.S. healthcare system: * Doctors are hard to see. As many as one-in-three people have trouble seeing their primary care physician, and nearly one-in-four have problems taking time from work to see a doctor. * Patients have trouble contacting physicians by telephone or e-mail. Very few doctors will consult by telephone and less than one-in-four are set up to communicate with patients electronically. * There are too few doctors in rural areas. Compared to metropolitan areas, there are fewer physicians serving rural patients and patients must travel further for office visits. * Patients overuse emergency rooms. Because their primary care physicians are inaccessible by telephone or after hours, many patients turn to hospital emergency rooms. More than one-half of all ER visits are for non-emergency health problems. * Patients have difficulty getting information during office visits. More than one-third of physicians do not have the time to deliver enough information to their patients during office visits, and 60 percent of patients later say they forgot to ask questions during their visits. * Convenience. Telephone medical consults support healthcare consumerism with a proven solution that is easy to access. "

"18-20 March 2009, New York, UN Headquarters, Milan, European Parliament Office Infopoverty is a common platform aiming at fighting poverty through the innovative use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), able to provide broadband services such as telemedicine, e-learning, e-government, etc. to disadvantaged communities. Infopoverty is a Programme born in the ambit of the United Nations and coordinated by OCCAM, the Observatory for Cultural and Audiovisual Communication created by UNESCO in 1997. The Infopoverty Programme involves more than 100 international institutions that have taken part, in various forms, in the Infopoverty World Conference."

This article deals with how telemedicine was used following the earthquake that occurred in Haiti in order to provide medical care to patents and individuals. The stakeholders in this scenario include the patients and doctors in Haiti and the doctors/hospitals in the U.S. They are able to use satellite technology and wireless internet, in order to bridge the gap between both areas and provide people with access to medical care. Satellite technology is used to communicate between doctors in the U.S with clinics in Haiti. This provides real time service to patients, where the doctor is providing a consultation and diagnosis immediately to the patient. This technology also allows doctors in the U.S to perform surgeries since the satellite technology is able to support telemedicine because it provides a high amount of bandwidth. Additionally, in Haiti they are using high speed wireless internet throughout certain regions. The radio system is used in extreme cases where more advanced technology is not available, but still allows doctors from two areas to communicate with one another. Images and messages during consultations are sent through a secured network, so the data of the patients is kept private. Obvious benefits of using this technology include that people are able to get access to medical care and this decreases the digital divide and globalization. This is because people are able to get more care and consultation through using this IT technology, which would not have been available without telemedicine. However, some issues still arise despite these benefits in medical care. This includes the security of information and privacy of the patients. In this case, the article states that the internet messages are secured so that there is not privacy breach. This must be done using encryption technology so that people are not discouraged from using telemedicine and so that no private patient information is leaked or seen by unwanted users.

(NOT FINISHED) After the devastation of Haiti's earthquake, impoverishment plagued the millions of patients, in dire need for medical assistance and resources. The "low tech" equipment failed to meet the needs of the population, so tele medicine is being adapted.

Medical facilities in Haiti are in essence trying to integrate satellite connection and internet service (along with increased bandwidth) in order to greatly expand the distribution and administering of medical services. Donated by the other organizations in Miami, the Haitian hospitals are now given the opportunity to form intercommunication via a wireless regional network system (internet service provided by neighboring countries, such as the Dominican Republic). One of the primary stakeholders, the patient and injured Haitian individuals required to maintain necessary medical help from the American doctors and medical professionals (other primary stakeholder). Such IT systems, enable the patients suffering from the devastating results of the earthquake to retrieve an increased amount of help and attention from doctors and other medical health professionals in other parts of the world, specifically recruiting medical help centralized in the United States. The adapted procedures of tele health already in American hospitals, including the use of internet messaging, x rays, scans, and medical reports all enable doctors to obtain confrontation and collaboration with Haitian patients on accurate and more reliable grounds. The scenario included in the article is Health, and the main theme is"medical information administration and marketing sales" for this pertains to telemedicine as a branched off aspect. In regards to the social and ethical considerations, the issue of the digital divide and equality of access is greatly highlighted in the article; telemedicine linked medical services found in another nation, to the needy Haitian population thus diminishing global boundaries placed up by the differences in development and advancement in certain regions of the globe. The digital divide that took control over Haitian lives( due to the catastrophic events of the earthquake) eliminated sources of internet connection, hardware and available software equipment to run teleme

In Diigo, you can always go back in and edit your own postings. It's only in the moodle that there is a time bomb that causes you to comment on your own reflections if you go back later to expand upon your initial thoughts.

The article starts with a general overview of telemedicine and its roots in NASA. Then, the article switches the focus to the implementation of telemedicine in Haiti. The establishment of networks in Haiti immediately benefited the effort to recover. Communication came immediately, but telemedicine found its way into Haiti and held a crucial role in recovery. Video sessions became common, allowing simpler analysis of data and training of doctors.

This is a video I found online which relates to our case study. It deals with telemedicine in Kenya and how it has greatly helped clinics and patients in receiving medical care simply through the use of a camera, scanner, and computer.

The breakthrough is your mobile phone, the house call of tomorrow," says Dr. Jay Sanders, a protege of Dr. Bird, referring to the possibility of sending images from a high-tech personal digital assistant device.

The breakthrough is your mobile phone, the house call of tomorrow," says Dr. Jay Sanders, a protege of Dr. Bird, referring to the possibility of sending images from a high-tech personal digital assistant device.

"The Millennium Villages use so-called telemedicine technology to improve health care. Health workers in the villages are given mobile phones and sent out to treat patients. After testing patients for various diseases, the workers send the results via text message to remote clinics and are told which treatment to provide. "It is a very wonderful system," Mr Sachs said. "It empowers providers in the community to get very powerful results.""

Economist argues that the West can afford $32bn for Africa, after a pilot scheme proves to be a success in reducing poverty and increasing HIV awareness. Poverty is decreasing in the village which is creating a drastic change. The people of the village are effected by this because they are part of the area affected. Just like the on in class, the area of interactions is health and the IT system is telemedicine, as well as computer devices. The major issues regarding this article are as follows: people and machines is one of the better ones because the machines are shaping the lives of different humans. Change is being established, which usually leads to both good and bad things.