Telemedicine Use in International Relief Efforts

Abstract

Physician shortages and ever-increasing patient volume are longstanding problems in medicine. The problem is particularly acute in specialties such as dermatology and dermatopathology: dermatologists account for only 1 percent of US physicians and are underrepresented in resource-constrained areas [1,2]. In developing countries, rural and displaced communities, and regions affected by war, natural disasters, epidemics, and influxes of immigrants and refugees, these shortages of doctors are even more severe [3].Telemedicine provides a consultation platform for triage, diagnosis, and management decisions and plays a fundamental role in humanitarian efforts to increase access to care in remote areas, reduce health inequities, and strengthen health systems in the developing world [4]. The increasing use of information and communication technologies is transforming medicine and amplifying access to expertise to relieve suffering in areas of greatest need.