Telemedicine: Transforming healthcare in India

Abstract

Background: Telemedicine is useful for providing and supporting healthcare when distance separates the participants.Telemedicine may even be useful in developing more cost-effective methods of providing healthcare in private clinics or organizations that present difficult computer integration and communication challenges because of their size and geographic distribution. This review article aims to provide a broad insight into the history, applications, barriers, and challenges of telemedicine, especially from the Indian perspective. Methodology: In this article, we reviewed the Indian and global scenario about history and guidelines for the application of telemedicine. Articles with keywords such as 'telemedicine' and 'telehealth' in the title or abstract were searched on PubMed and Google Scholar. Only the articles in English and freely available full text were reviewed. Results: It was observed that the Government of India recognized the potential of telemedicine as a novel, advanced, and evolving frontier in health care, which may facilitate and provide essential medical care to people living even in the remotest areas. Along with government's imperfect telemedicine guidelines, India faces the dual challenge of a vast and widely diverse population coupled with deficient and unevenly distributed health resources. Conclusion:Increasing awareness among healthcare providers and government initiatives coupled with cautious and responsible practices will facilitate a successful transition to a mixed approach. Incorporating telemedicine with time and deliberation, the current guidelines can be perfected and refined to deal with medico-legal aspects.