Telemedicine recommended for rural areas

Citing examples from Scotland and the Falkland Islands, the report entitled Healthcare in a Rural Setting, concludes that telemedicine can give increased flexibility to healthcare service providers and allows them to expand the scope and quality of services.

The report says: “While initial consultation with a patient may need face-to-face interaction, follow-up consultations could usefully use telecommunication.  As the distance to alternative healthcare services increases, telemedicine becomes a more attractive option.

“Isolated rural GPs particularly benefit from contact with colleagues.  Funding is needed from the Department of Health to subsidise the equipment necessary to provide telemedicine services.”

Uses of telemedicine explored in the report include teleconsultation between minor injuries units in northern Scotland and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and televisiting which is helping long-term mental health patients from Shetland to keep in touch with their families while they are in the Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen.

Problems identified included: difficulties experienced by patients in remote areas getting to the centres where the telemedicine was available and variable quality in the consultations.

For health professionals working in rural areas e-learning is also seen as a benefit that conquers the problem of distance between the practitioner and continuing professional development.  Again, there are downsides including the gap between expectations and what technology can provide and the capital expense involved in e-learning.  The report also points out that for many professionals in rural areas, the social element of the conventional educational programme is as beneficial as the educational content.