Telemedicine Expanding the Scope of Health Care Information
- Correspondence and reprints: David C. Balch, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Center for Health Sciences Communication, Brody Building, 1 South 10, Greenville, NC 27858. E-mail: dave{at}sparky.med.ecu.edu
- Received 17 June 1996
- Accepted 16 September 1996
Abstract
The definition of health information is growing to include multimedia audio, video, and high-resolution still images. This article describes the telemedicine program at East Carolina University School of Medicine, including the telemedicine applications presently in use and the virtual reality applications currently under development. Included are the major design criteria that shape the telemedicine network, some of the lessons learned in developing the network, and a discussion of the future of telemedicine, including efforts to incorporate telemedicine within a fully integrated health information system.
Footnotes
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Presented in part at the AMIA Spring Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, June 1996.
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Supported in part by grants from the Health Care Financing Administration, the Office of Rural Health Policy, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
