Of course, there has to be a lot of sensitivity in performing ultrasounds, since the expected mother, the tele-ultrasound technician and the nurse will be in the exam room. For example, the patient may not want to know the sex of the fetus. Discretion and privacy are important. Incidentally, this is a boy.
This slide illustrates a multi-site physical therapy session. For support groups, the technology can work well with at least 2 people at the spoke site. Virtual support groups have been demonstrated to be successful, perhaps partly because of the anonymity that the technology allows.
Smartphones are emerging as the telemedicine work station of choice in certain circumstances. We’ll be talking a lot more about that a year from now.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Baltimore-based health software company WellDoc to begin marketing the DiabetesManager ® System, a mobile phone application designed for patients and healthcare providers who are dealing with type 2 diabetes. The company, founded in 2005, plans to start selling the product early next year. And, in closing, I would point out that hundreds if not thousands of medical apps are popping up on the Internet. Clearly telemedicine has morphed into e-health and its future looks very bright.
It’s interesting that Apple stores are now selling medical devices. This reflects the extent to which healthcare is becoming a commodity.