Telemedicine in Greenland: the case for and against implementation

Greenland has a population of approximately 55,000 spread over an enormous stretch of coast. Conditions for patient transport are often hostile due to weather and the availability of materials. The health clinics on the coast are wholly dependent on the ability to transport in cases of serious illness or injury, as no manpower or facilities for intensive treatment or care exist outside of populated centers. A large proportion of the population lives far away from the centers, and due to their closeness to nature, these people have a high incidence of injuries. For these reasons, installation of the highest possible level of technological knowledge transfer seems highly appropriate. However, technology proficiency on the part of health personnel in the outlying areas is low; indeed, the level of reading skills is not satisfactory in all cases. There is furthermore a significant language barrier. The case for telemedicine in this setting is clear in technical terms, but murky at best in the manpower sense. The final argument will be financial means, which must be found by savings in other settings, e.g., evacuations and treatment in distant settings. A current effort to increase the information base to support decision making in this sphere is presented.