Complications Of Telemedicine In Nursing

Telemedicine can be defined as “the practice of monitoring the medical condition of a patient from far away or consulting with colleagues situated in different locations through the use of a technological device, such as the telephone, the computer, or medical equipment.” (McSweeney-Feld & Oetjen, 2012, p. 61). The word “telemedicine” literally means “healing at a distance”, which means the use of information and communication technologies to improve patient outcomes by increasing access to medical information and access to care. World Health Organization broadly describe telemedicine as “The delivery of healthcare services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health care professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of health care providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities”.

The use of telemedicine can be traced back to the mid to late 19th century when electrocardiograph data were transmitted over telephone wires. Telemedicine was also initially used in

Over the past decade, new possibilities for health care service and delivery are created due to the utilization, increased availability and recent advancement of information and communication technologies. New and more efficient ways of providing care have been implemented and an increasing interest in the application of telemedicine is being observed as the cost of the information and communication technologies dropped and the analog forms of communication got replaced with digital methods. Advancement of the information and communication technology have further accelerated with the introduction and popularization of the internet. (Kay, Santos, & Takane, 2010, p.