[Networking physicians' practices: teleconsultation/teleconferencing]

Tele-medicine offers clear possibilities to improve the work of the doctor, in order to ensure the optimal treatment of the patient. In particular, cooperation between outpatient and inpatient doctors can be organised more efficiently using new forms of communication and information via the electronic network and EDP-based information processing. Problems with the utilisation of tele-medicine lie in both the design of the fundamentals and standards with regard to legal unity as well as in a lack of knowledge of many doctors in the utilisation of these new techniques.