Telemedicine in a Large Group Practice

Telemedicine has potential applications in occupational medicine,  but has been rarely used for that purpose. The experience of Mayo Clinic in  the use of telemedicine for clinical and educational purposes, including the  establishment and operation of Mayo telemedicine clinical services to Jordan  and the United Arab Emirates, a pilot study in which this technology was  used to evaluate and manage employee injuries in Minnesota in 2005, and a  program currently being used by a Mayo neurologist to treat stroke patients  at outlying hospitals in Arizona, will be described.  Telemedicine may improve timeliness and quality of medical care. It is most  effective when patients are remotely located and where the cost of  transporting patients for medical care is expensive, where medical specialty  services are needed, but not available on site (particularly when there is a  large gap in level of knowledge between the specialist and the remote health  care provider), and where there is a need for a rapid response to a medical  problem at a remote site. Disadvantages include the cost of equipment and  staff, quality of audio/video transmission and potential technical glitches,  differences in time zones, and potential delays when urgent medical  transport is needed.