Telehealth - bringing healthcare to one's doorstep: how ready is Sri Lanka?

Abstract

Provision of healthcare at a distance is not a new concept. However, with the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), the term ‘Telehealth’ has been cited frequently in the health/medical literature. Similar terms such as ‘Online Health’, ‘eHealth’ and Telemedicine’ are also begining to appear. The purpose of this article is to provide readers with an understanding of telehealth with special reference to Sri Lanka. First, different terms and definitions related to telehealth will be reviewed. Then, the history of telehealth and evolutionary milestones of telecommunication activities will be examined. Next, telecommunication activities in Sri Lanka and its trend will be explored. Later, telehealth effectiveness will be examined briefly. Finally, a brief overview of telehealth activities related to Sri Lanka will be presented before suggesting a way forward.

Keywords: Telehealth, Telemedicine, eHealth, Healthcare, ICT, Health Economics, eLearning, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Journal of Bio-Medical Informatics 2010;1(3):124-138

DOI: 10.4038/sljbmi.v1i3.2056