Abstract
The aim of this study is to present a review based on the literature and proceedings from selected telemedicine conferences. The review was developed using the PRISMA framework. The Embase and PubMed (updated until July 13, 2015) literature databases were searched for telemedicine-related terms and Poland. The literature search identified 129 eligible articles in the databases and 85 in conference proceedings until July 2015. Articles measured as a number of contributions per year presented a similar rising, fluctuating and almost parallel pattern. Fifty-nine percent of the reviewed papers were published in impacted journals. Almost half of all publications presented original papers. The published articles concerned mostly cardiology (16%), family medicine (15%) and pathology (11%). Conference proceedings papers concerned orthopedics (29%, significantly more frequent; p < 0.001) and cardiology (14%). Scientific activity of researchers and practitioners in Poland in the field of telemedicine is not high, but it is increasing over time. There is a tendency to present the research rather in high-quality journals instead of conferences before publication. The occurrence of individual medical specialty telemedicine in Poland may reflect country-specific needs.
Highlights
Over the last 2 decades, substantial development has been observed in telemedicine, including eHealth, mHealth and other related terms often used to describe the delivery of healthcare at a distance using a variety of telecommunication devices and systems
According to the American Telemedicine Association, the term “telemedicine” means “the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status, including applications and services using two-way video, email, smartphones, wireless tools, and other forms of telecommunications technology.”[1]. The Polish Telemedicine and eHealth Society considers telemedicine to cover the entire spectrum of medical services, including liability and licensing.[2]
The peer-review process is obvious for the paper addressing telemedicine in Poland published in 1995.6 The number of articles published per year fluctuated from 0 to 16, with an overall increasing trend (Fig. 2)
Summary
Over the last 2 decades, substantial development has been observed in telemedicine, including eHealth, mHealth and other related terms often used to describe the delivery of healthcare at a distance using a variety of telecommunication devices and systems. According to the American Telemedicine Association, the term “telemedicine” means “the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status, including applications and services using two-way video, email, smartphones, wireless tools, and other forms of telecommunications technology.”[1] The Polish Telemedicine and eHealth Society considers telemedicine to cover the entire spectrum of medical services, including liability and licensing.[2] eHealth is a broader term that includes several aspects of medical/health or clinical information systems. As a Central European country with a population of 38.5 million, Poland and its pattern of telemedicine development may be representative of the whole Central and Eastern European region
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