European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

“Tele” is a Greek word meaning “distance” and “mederi” is a Latin word meaning “to heal.” Telemedicine can be defined as the use of telecommunications technologies to provide medical information and services. It is the use of information and communications technology to deliver health care services to people who are some distance from the health care provider. Telemedicine has a wide range of applications in patient care, education, research, administration and public health. It has come a long way in terms of both healthcare delivery and technology. It is a common practice in developed countries; it has been widely used in developing countries to resolve the issues of medical care access. Even though telemedicine cannot resolve all the problems, it can undoubtedly help reduce the burden of the healthcare system to a large extent. In this article, the literature pertinent to telemedicine and its applications are reviewed and summarized.