Design of a telemedicine network to facilitate rural health care

New technology has had enormous impact on the practice of medicine in the last three decades, beginning with the invention of computer-assisted imaging techniques such as CT, MR, and nuclear medicine scanning. Current trends include the use of the Internet to transmit patient information provide medical consultation, and allow access to online medical literature; teleradiology in which images can be electronically stored and transmitted; and telemedicine in which patients can be examined by a physician in a remote location. In this article, the uses of these techniques to facilitate rural healthcare are discussed.