Telemedicine is the use of Information Technology (IT) to transmit medical information between different locations via telecommunications media for healthcare service delivery, Patient Education and Health Care Provider Education to improve patient care.
This broad definition that covers many diverse applications: teleconferencing, remote consultation, transfer of patient’s records, remote data collection and diagnosis, Tele-Education and more.
Telemedicine may be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over telephone, or as sophisticated as using satellites to transmit a consultation between healthcare providers located in two countries, using videoconferencing equipment. Medical data can contain images like X-Rays, MRI, CT Scans, Ultra-sound , Blood slide microphotographs, ECG recordings, Audio–Video clippings etc. Transfer of these images and text data may utilize a variety of telecommunications technology like telephone lines, ISDN, internet, intranets, LAN, WAN and satellites.

Telemedicine may have been in prominence in the past four years, but in reality telemedicine has been in use in some form or other for over thirty years. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) played an important role in the early development of telemedicine. Many of the initial telemedicine endeavors involved transfer of images over microwave and audio frequency ranges. Astronauts in space were monitored from the spacecraft as well as their spacesuits during their missions.

Telemedicine is now becoming useful in a many spheres of medicine viz. Dermatology, Oncology, Radiology, Surgery, Cardiology, Psychiatry, Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Home Health Services for remote areas where no such specialist is available.

 
DEMAND ANALYSIS
   

Medical science is a very old science. Its aim is benefit of mankind. Every human being, rich or poor, wherever he or she may be live, be it a rural or an urban area, needs medical services during his or her life span. People living in remote areas in developing country are struggling for expert medical services. Development of information technology has crossed geographical boundaries and reduced the distances. IT can now help unite mankind and aid underprivileged people by giving them access to the Specialist Medical Services of developed areas or countries. This process is based on modern Information Technology and is known as Telemedicine.
Telemedicine has the potential to make a difference in the lives of many people. In rural areas the distance between the patient and the nearest health care provider can be hundreds of miles. In such cases Telemedicine can mean access to quality healthcare. In cases of emergency, this access can mean difference between life and death. Cases where fast medical responses and specialty care are needed are best handled by telemedicine. Telemedicine allows users to share superior health care by offering access to specialist care through utilization of technology. Some telemedicine applications can significantly reduce the time and cost of patient transportation by transmitting images to tertiary care medical centres across long distances for evaluation by appropriate medical specialists. Telemedicine also permits physicians doing clinical research to be linked together despite geographical separation. Charting patient records and diagnostic images becomes easier. Telemedicine helps improve medical education for rural healthcare professionals. In such cases several community hospitals are linked with the sponsoring Medical Schools.
 
FEATURES
   

Telemedicine is utilized by health providers in a growing number of medical specialities. Hence it has a large groups and beneficiaries. NGOs, Trusts, Central and State Government Health Services, Rural Development Boards, Armed Forces and Space Application Centres form a part of this concept of beneficiaries. Any organization, whether Government, Semi Government, Private or a Trust, while working for healthcare in rural or remote area, can benefit from Telemedicine. In fact the cost effectiveness and instant response of Telemedicine has made the concept obligatory for any institution devoted to public health.
The effectiveness of telemedicine can best be seen in Disaster Management. During natural calamities like floods, earthquake, cyclones, tsunamis etc where many people need healthcare services and from too few doctors. Telemedicine augments healthcare by providing the services from as many doctors as needed from all over the world. Telemedicine is the only option during such situations.
Remote hilly regions, big public gatherings, large congregations, religious fairs of long duration, ceremonies or activities like the Maha Kumbh Mela etc are classic examples where telemedicine services are almost obligatory.

Telemedicine helps doctors and medical institutes better their prospects and image. Telemedicine is of immense help in retaining client base for doctors and hospitals by transmitting their services to remote areas where going physically may not be possible.

This last modality of business improvement attracts financial institutions to enter the field of healthcare.
 
APPLICATION
 

Most of the telemedicine applications in use today are made up of two different kinds of technology. The first is called 'store and forward'. It is used to transfer digital images from one location to another. A digital image is captured by a digital camera (stored) and then sent (forwarded) to another location. This is used for non critical situations where a diagnosis or consultation may be made in the next 24 to 48 hours and sent back. Data and images may be transferred from any part of the world to any location anywhere in the world provided the two locations are connected via any telecommunications medium. Radiology and Pathology images are the most commonly sent images in not critical cases.
The other situation where telemedicine has evolved into an important service is ‘Two Way Interactive Television’. It is used when a face to face consultation is necessary. It is usually between the patient and his or her healthcare provider at one end and the specialist/s or researcher/s at the other end. For such a ‘Real Time’ consultation videoconferencing equipment must be functional at both the locations.