Imagine being in physical pain and having to spend hours in a car or plane because the nearest medical specialist is hundreds of miles away. 

It allows physicians and health care specialists to diagnose and treat patients over distances – whether that span is across a street, a city, a region or an ocean. Telehealth can prevent uncomfortable delays, high travel expenses and family separation by bringing specialized medical care directly to the people who need it. It is being practiced in rural areas, school districts, home-health settings, nursing homes, cruise ships, and on NASA space missions.

Telemedicine typically involves physicians using interactive video and/or store-and-forward consultations to treat patients. Interactive video allows medical specialists to directly communicate with their patients who are in another location, using television monitors and specially adapted equipment. Store-and-Forward techniques include physicians sending pictures, x-rays, and other patient information directly to the computer of a specialist. After reviewing that information, the specialist then sends the diagnosis back to the local doctor, who treats the patients and provides follow-up care.

Telehealth is a topic that you'll be hearing more about in the future. The following are valuable resources for getting aquatinted with the field of telehealth: