Telemedicine in the U.S. Army: case reports from Somalia and Croatia

Recent advances in information systems technology improved the abilities of U.S. Army physicians in Somalia and Croatia to obtain clinical consults from U.S. Army Medical Centers in Germany and Washington, D.C. Through commercial satellite transmission of voice, facsimile, and high-resolution still, digital images, the Remote Clinical Communications System (RCCS) has expanded the Army Medical Department's means to provide better healthcare to our armed forces. This paper describes the RCCS technology and illustrates, through specific case reports, how this telemedicine system helped the Army Medical Department accomplish its mission during overseas deployments.