Abstract
The idea of Telemedicine can be defined as the application of modern telecommunications technology to diagnose, conduct research, transfer patient data, improve illness or impart care and treatment in remote location.
Introduction
The legalities of telemedicine have received a greater amount of attention from the lawyers as being one of the important aspects of medico-legal cases. Best colleges for law have not only determined to impart the knowledge of law but have also aimed to embrace the extraversion of law. With the increase in the arena of telecommunication, technology has played an important role in improving the healthcare system. The rapid growth of technology and its innovation has rapidly changed the entire health system by giving access to those people living in a remote location.
Meaning of Telemedicine
The meaning of the term “Telemedicine” is “healing from distance”. Telemedicine can be defined as the use of technologies for communicating and providing several healthcare facilities in the phases where distance separate the patients and the doctors. The word “Tele” comes from a Greek word that means “distance,” and “mederi” comes from a Latin word that means “to cure”.
One of the examples of telemedicine is calling a doctor to ask for medicines without actually visiting the hospitals.
Goals of Telemedicine – Forwarded by World Health Organisation
The concept of telemedicine can be considered an emerging science in the field of Public Health. World Health Organisation have laid down few features and goals of telemedicine in the current phase of the world. The goal are as follows:
- To provide medical help to large number of people.
- To reduce the distance between patients and doctors through the use of phones, emails, messages and other online modes of contact.
- To ascertain the use of communication technology.
- To provide healthier and better lives to the people.
Guidelines Of Telemedicine: Indian Perspective
The Guidelines on Telemedicine was released by the Indian Government on 25th March, 2020. The guidelines came to be known as Telemedicine Guidelines. The guidelines were introduced for the registered doctors in order to guide them in adopting the mechanism of telemedicine. The Telemedicine guidelines made it legally valid to impart teleconsultation by the doctors with respect to a patient living far away.
Essential Components of Telemedicine Guidelines
- Medium of teleconsultation- While providing telemedicine services, doctors have the power and right to choose their own medium of communication.
- Patient’s responsibility- It is the duty of the patient to provide accurate information to the doctors while communicating his problem via telephone or any online means.
- Format of prescription-It is not necessary to give the prescription in any format for while proving the telemedicine services.
- Same level of care – It is necessary to provide same level of treatment by the doctors in both the ways of treatment -online as well as offline mode.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, it would be important to note that the concept of telemedicine is not limited to the delivery of health services only, it is further extended to include tele-education as well as long-distance treatment. In this connection, best colleges for law are imparting education in the best possible way so that the future lawyers are not deprived of the knowledge of the contemporary arena.
