[Supporting system for regional medical liaison and role of a central hospital]

The current status and future development of the supporting system for regional medical liaison and a role of the central hospital in the network were outlined. One of such supportive systems for regional medical network would be tele-medicine or tele-mentoring that include radiological and pathological diagnoses in distance, tele-surgery, and tele-education. Most of these systems are facilitated in the universities and affiliated hospitals and generally need high-cost communication equipment. Another approach is the information sharing system through the modern telecommunication network. Electronic patient record (EPR) systems are the key to achieving this and currently active in several areas. Since the recent progress in information technology (IT) is astonishing, community-based EPR systems are practical with the capability of clinical information exchange between different institutions and even with patients. The role of a central hospital in these systems must be capacious. Management and continuous operation of the system would be the most important affairs. For extending these supporting systems to the ones working in a broader area, the establishment of a "one ID for one patient" system is crucial. Strict security management of the data base and legal institution for distant medical practice still remain as the future tasks.