Telemedicine and the digital door doctor

Telemedicine is changing the way medicine can be practiced, and how medical knowledge is communicated,learnt and researched in today’s technologically oriented society. The adoption of internet based communication has significantly expanded the patients’ ability to access a multitude of world class medical information. Research has shown that patients would welcome the ability to consult a doctor using the same computing tools they use to communicate with family, friends and work colleagues. This paper discusses the use of telemedicine today and how it could be used to access medical services from home. Further, it investigates the incentives and barriers to widespread adoption of such services in Australia with particular reference to the issues of information security. The technology to make home telemedicine a reality is already available and all that remains for this to come to fruition is a shift in culture to accept it as a suitable alternative to current medical consultation practice.