Telehealth is in its infancy, and not unexpectedly there are more questions than answers.[1] That said, in a commercial context the law governing business has shown itself able to adapt in a short time to the existence of the Internet. Notwithstanding the uncertainty and the challenges that will arise, telehealth is likely to have the same experience in adapting to its legal challenges.
Distinguishing between the terms telehealth and telemedicine is a useful way to begin:
With the recent and rapid explosion of biomedical research and the resultant expansion of knowledge, physicians are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the literature and the latest evidence-based recommendations for the management of their patients. Rather than committing all the necessary knowledge to memory, this and future generations of physicians need to become much more adept at finding the latest information to help in their decision-making processes.
Dr Marion and I wish to thank you and your colleagues for doing such a professional job with our article on life expectancy in the elderly [BCMJ 2003;45(4):178-182].
(Back in the 1960s I was medical editor of Applied Therapeutics for a couple of years, and I am well aware of the amount of hard work and coordination that has to go into every issue.)
