فناوری‌های جدید، دورپزشکی و دور روانپزشکی

Rapid technological progresses have affected different aspects of human life such as healthcare, and have resulted in formation of new medical terms such as “electronic health (e-health)” and “telemedicine”. E-health is providing healthcare services through electronic media, and “telemedicine” as one of the subsets of e-health, are those medical services which can be provided though live, interactive, and mutual televideo communication between the patient and the physician. The inclusion criteria have to be specified based on medical needs, applicability, cost-effectiveness, and the clinical condition of the patient. The allocated bandwidth, should also be considered. Researches have shown that effective optimal clinical care is the most important keyfactor in providing successful outcomes by telemedicine, and the role of updated equipment and facilities are insignificant in this regard. Telemedicine has also been successfully used in mental health care systems. “Telepsychiatry” is defined as the implication of telemedicine in mental health and psychiatric services, and “telepsychiatrist” is the psychiatrist who provides telepsychiatric services via electronic communication to residences of remote areas. Telepsychiatry is applicable in all age ranges and developmental and cognitive levels, and can be used in clinical evaluation and assessment, diagnosis, treatment, medical education, consultation, forensics, and emergency care, in a variety of mental disorders. Besides current barriers for implementing telemedicine in the mainstream of clinical practice, it seems that the rapid development of technology, will make the use of telemedicine in the medical and healthcare systems widespread and even inevitable.