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Telemedicine refers to the practice of caring for patients remotely when the provider and patient are not physically present with each other. Modern technology has enabled doctors to consult patients by using video-conferencing tools permitted by law that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information.
Telemedicine must not be confused with telehealth, as they’re concerned with two different things. While telehealth is an all-encompassing range of technologies and services to provide patient care and improve the healthcare delivery system as a whole, telemedicine and telecare are branches of telehealth and fall under its umbrella.
The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to telemedicine as “healing from a distance“. It is the use of telecommunications technology and information technologies by health care professionals to assess, diagnose and treat patients at a distant location.
Today, individuals no longer have to schedule an in-person visit with a physician to receive treatment. The widespread use of mobile phones, secure video and audio connections, makes it possible for specialists to treat patients who reside in locations with limited access to care. The approach has been through a striking evolution in the last decade and it is becoming an increasingly important part of the American healthcare infrastructure.
Telemedicine as a concept (idea) and practice, is not new at all. It dates back to the 19th century. What began as a few hospitals wanting to reach patients in remote locations became a whole system across the care profession. It is useful to go back in history to know how we got to where we are today.
The creation of telemedicine began with the introduction of the telecommunications infrastructure, which included the telegraph, telephone, and radio. During the American Civil War, casualties and injuries were reported using the telegraph, in addition to the ordering of medical supplies and consultations. This is considered one of the earliest adoptions of telemedicine technology.
By 1879, a Lancet report discussed how using the telephone can reduce the number of unnecessary office visits. This was only the beginning of what would be a patient care transformation.
In 1922, Dr. Hugo Gernsback featured a device called the “teledactyl” in a science magazine. Gernsback predicted that this sensory feedback device would permit physicians to see their patients through a television screen and touch them from miles away with robot arms. He effectively predicted telemedicine, though with a weirder twist than we see implemented.
However, what we recognize as telemedicine today began by 1948 when the first radiologic images were sent via telephone between two medical staff at two different health centers 24 miles apart in Pennsylvania. Then in 1959, physicians at the University of Nebraska transmitted neurological examinations across campus to medical students using two-way interactive television. Five years later, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) link was built that allowed physicians to provide psychiatric consultations 112 miles away at Norfolk State Hospital.
In the early days, telemedicine was used mostly to connect doctors working with a patient in one location to specialists somewhere else. This was of great benefit to rural or hard-to-reach populations, where specialists aren’t readily available. Throughout the next several decades, the equipment necessary to conduct remote visits remained expensive and complex, so the use of the approach, while growing, was limited.
The rise of the internet age brought with it deep changes for the practice of telemedicine. Today, most people have access to basic telemedicine devices like mobile phones and computers, capable of high-quality video transmission. With improved accessibility, individuals in rural areas and busy urban areas can connect with a provider with ease. Home-use medical devices make it possible for caregivers to monitor everything from vitals to glucose levels. Physicians can gather essential medical information and make a diagnosis without patients stepping foot in a doctor’s office.
By 2020, telemedicine is expected to be a $35 billion industry and be a vital piece of modern healthcare delivery. The history of telemedicine shows how far we’ve come from where we started, and a window to limitless possibilities into the future.
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