History of Telemedicine
Although TeleCare and telemedicine may seem at first glance to be a relatively new phenomenon, it has actually existed since the early 1960s. NASA first introduced a telemedicine monitoring device to report on the physiological states of astronauts during space missions. Both the shuttle and the spacesuits themselves were outfitted with technology designed to monitor and report on the health of the astronauts in real time.
NASA funded several early telemedicine research projects; by 1975 there were at least fifteen active projects in this field. As the technology developed, additional applications were explored. The next step was to use telemedicine to serve rural communities, particularly American Indian tribes. In the years that followed, Nebraska, Massachusetts and Alaska were all involved in telemedicine pilot programs. Government funding became more readily available in the early '90s, leading to a huge increase in telemedicine-related projects. In 1995, an article published in Telemedicine Today reported that the number of programs had doubled in one year.
As of March 2008, nearly every state has actively engaged in some form of telemedicine strategy, ranging from Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and electronic prescription fulfillment, to enabling physicians to meet with patients via web-based videoconferencing. Furthermore, nearly 20 European nations have begun developing telemedicine programs. Scotland has earmarked over $400 million USD for upgrades to health technology in 2009, with the goal being to ensure that they have a health service infrastructure that is fit for the 21st century.
Denmark has one of the most efficient medical information systems in the world, that has been estimated to save doctors an average of 50 minutes per day in administrative work. A 2008 report estimated that electronis record keeping saved Denmark's health system as much as $120 Million per year. Virtually all primary care physicians and nearly half of all of its hospitals use electronic records.
President Barack Obama, stated in January 2009, "We will make the immediate investments necessary to ensure that within five years, all of America's medical records are computerized", has endorsed advances in telemedicine.
Telemedicine Organizations
Three organizations currently govern the telehealth industry - the Telemedicine Information Exchange, the American Telemedicine Association, and the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH).
Telemedicine Information Exchange
Found at http://tie.telemed.org, the Telemedicine Information Exchange offers updates on current telemedicine news, a searchable bibliographic database, a searchable telemedicine program database, journal articles, funding information and job postings. They describe themselves as follows:
"The Telemedicine Information Exchange is an all-inclusive platform for information about telemedicine and telehealth. It is maintained by the Association of Telehealth Service Providers, relying on sponsorships and contributions in order to maintain operations."
American Telemedicine Association
Found at http://www.americantelemed.org, the American Telemedicine Association exists to educate the public about telemedicine, organize annual conferences, encourage networking and collaboration, and leading the industry in defining policies and standards. The ATA was established in 1993 as a non-profit organization. Headquartered in Washington, DC, membership in the Association is open to individuals, healthcare institutions, companies and other organizations with an interest in promoting the deployment of telemedicine throughout the world. They describe themselves as follows:
"The American Telemedicine Association is the leading resource and advocate promoting access to medical care for consumers and health professionals via telecommunications technology. ATA seeks to bring together diverse groups from traditional medicine, academic medical centers, technology and telecommunications companies, e-health, medical societies, government and others to overcome barriers to the advancement of telemedicine through the professional, ethical and equitable improvement in health care delivery."
International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH)
ISfTeH aims to facilitate the international dissemination of knowledge and experience in Telemedicine and eHealth and to provide access to recognized experts in the field worldwide.
They offer networking opportunities, newsletters, a Telemedicine Directory, document storage, access to working groups on standards and regulations, assistance on legal matters, organization of an annual conference, and forums and blogs supporting open discussion of issues relevant to the telemedicine community.