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Making House Calls: Using Telecommunications to Bring Health Care into the Home Ron Chepesiuk Abstract
According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, an estimated 22 million Americans used their computers to seek medical information in 1995, making health concerns the sixth most common reason for using the Internet in the United States. Market research firms estimate that the number of people going online for this purpose is growing by 70% annually. Developments in computer technology, the Internet, and wireless and satellite telecommunications have led to major innovations in the nature and delivery of health care that have broad implications for the way people will receive health information and treatment in the future, even allowing health care providers to interact through cyberspace with their patients and other caregivers. Despite the considerable potential benefits of telehealth, such as providing much-needed medical information and services to rural and underserved populations, the challenge of effectively incorporating health care into the telecommunications revolution comes with its own set of hazards and concerns including issues such as how to ensure the reliability of advice distributed through Internet medical sites, how to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of patient/user information, and the cost of providing so-called cyber health care to those who need it.
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