Telemedicine has a wide range of applications and technologies that have been developed to increase the health and well-being of the individual in the community. This phenomenon can be determined by the type of information sent (such as clinical trials and radiographs), how to send this data and Find meaning . In the following, we will refer to the service levels of the telemedicine system so that you can become more familiar with this discussion
- 1Telemedicine for Emergency care system
At this level of service, emergency patients are first evaluated by experienced physicians based in medical centers. If you need to consult a telemedicine physician, you can immediately make audio, video and vital signs (such as heart sound, Lung sound, sick heart tape, etc.) are sent. Immediately after examining the patient's history and condition and considering his or her vital signs, the physician of the Telemedicine system immediately provides the necessary medical advice to save the patient's life and monitors the patient's recovery process .
2- Patient care in the first level of medical services (Telemedicine for primary Health car system)
In this system, a wide range of patients with diseases of the level of a medical service, from cold to blood pressure diseases, etc., are visited simultaneously by a doctor who is located at a distance from the medical center. While seeing the patient and negotiating with him, the doctor receives vital signs and the patient's condition at the same time, and after diagnosing the disease, provides the necessary advice for the patient's treatment to the relevant physician. In this section, many activities related to education and primary health care can be included .
3- Telemedicine for consulting system
A number of patients who are first seen by a general practitioner of telemedicine need specialized medical care. This system can establish a three-way communication between the physician or specialist physicians of a specialized center and the general practitioner of this system and the patients of different medical centers. In this method, using audio and video transmission technologies and related medical equipment, the specialist doctor, while negotiating directly with the patient and the general practitioner, receives vital signs and other information needed to diagnose the disease at the same time. Presents to the patient's general practitioner. In this system, with the help of specialized doctors of a medical center, the specialized medical services required by the large population that are scattered in different areas can be provided..
Applications of telemedicine services
Tele counseling : Currently, the main application of this technology is medical counseling, which is easily done both in Iran and in other parts of the world. Remote counseling is usually done between two or more doctors or between a patient and a physician. In remote counseling, the use of all communication facilities such as telephone, fax, e-mail, Internet chat, message page, etc. is possible. It should be noted that remote counseling provides access to both useful and inaccurate information, counterfeit physicians, and unreliable medical sites .
Telemonitoring : Advances in digital and computer technology have had a major impact on radiology. For example, a computer can be used to manually change an image, or digital processing algorithms can extract specific parts of an image, so different imaging methods can increase detection power and ultimately save time and money. Imaging technologies play a major role in diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Ultrasound scanners, small cameras used in joint surgery and diagnostic devices, pathology and radiology tests, and brain scans are just some of the imaging technologies that can be performed by telemedicine. In the last two decades, we have witnessed the creation and growth of various imaging techniques such as MRI ultrasoundWe've all had digital scans that make up only 30 percent of medical images, and the rest of the images are taken by X- rays . The images are non-digital and can be used in remote radiology and digital radiology. They have to be digitized, which is done with the help of a digitizer .
Tele pathology : Pathology is the study of changes that occur in cells and tissues during illness. Remote pathology is the act of recognizing the patient's damage remotely. View directly on the microscope screen and see the relevant sample. In remote pathology, a video camera is mounted on a microscope or a digital microscope video is used to send a slide image to the desired centers .
The facilities of the telemedicine system can eliminate distances, and the doctor or medical team can examine the patient face to face and simultaneously.
And with other consideration of the patient's paraclinical information, provide the steps for diagnosing the disease and the advice needed to treat the patient .
Teledermatology: Diagnosis of skin diseases is made by examining medical records, examinations and biopsies. In telemedicine, high-resolution color images of the complication site should be taken to treat skin conditions. Biopsies can be sent by mail to a specialist center, but in the case of this type of disease, real-time interaction between specialist and patient is not necessary .
Remote Home Care : Due to the growth of the elderly population and the shortage of home care physicians through telemedicine, it has great potential for growth. Most people with cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory disorders need such care. Also, when a patient is hospitalized after surgery or for any other reason, that hospital loses a valuable bed. In addition, some patients do not feel well in the hospital and feel more comfortable at home. Changes in heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and other vital signs of the patient, and the patient's image are sent to the nurse .
Patient Remote Monitoring: With the patient remote monitoring that replaces the Holter monitor, the patient's information can be transferred from his home to the cardiologist's workplace. Or in remote areas where psychiatrists do not reside. Patients can be monitored via video conference and treated and followed up by a psychiatrist living in another area .
Source: hcsm