Telemedicine Coming of Age

In this article (Brown 1996) the author has reviewed various dimensions of telemedicine like – different enabling technologies, programs, advantages, barriers etc. One can notice a clear bias towards technology and telemedicine in this article. There can be no doubt that telemedicine is based on application of advanced telecommunication technologies, but at the same time it should not be forgotten that the entire exercise is for the benefit of human being and therefore, focus has to be on benefit or harm to human being. While looking at the positive side of advancements in technologies, it is a common practice to forget the flip side of it. Already, the enhanced connectivity of people by modern telecom technologies which seems to have connected the globe has separated neighbors, created gap between parents and their offspring. All this is causing a great harm to the wellness or health of humanity. Is it not ironical that we are talking about telepsychiatry to treat the very illness psychiatry which in many cases is due to usage of modern teletechnologies itself! The author has chosen to completely overlook disadvantages of telemedicine. Is it not a clear bias toward telemedicine?

While discussing the barriers or obstacles of telemedicine, again the author has given too much importance to the enabling technologies and legislations. The human touch is again missing. What about acceptance of the technology by the final beneficiary the human beings? What about uncontrollable law and order situation prevalent on a vast territory of the globe. What about fanatic religious movements denouncing usage of modern technology of benefit of mankind. Until these forces are controlled, can we dream of spreading the benefit of telemedicine to the real consumers – the poor people for whom medical facilities is a real dream even in 21^st century. Thus the article, while providing a good update, fails to tackle the more vital issues related to telemedicine. One should remember that larger goal of telemedicine is to provide healthcare facilities to those deprived of it till now and not just as an addendum to healthcare facilities of medically affluent class.

Reference

1. Brown, N. (2005). Telemedicine Coming of Age. Retrieved October 7, 2006 from http://tie.telemed.org/articles/article.asp?path=consumer&article=tmcoming_nb_tie96.xml