[Telemedicine: past, present and future]

Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication technology for medical diagnosis and patient care. From its beginnings, telemedicine has been used in a variety of health care fields, although widespread interest among healthcare providers has only now become apparent with the development of more sophisticated technology. In the present establishing system for patient care using telecommunication technologies is feasible, but there is little evidence of clinical benefits. In the future, telemedicine may be an useful tool for diagnosis and clinical assistance of patients in remote areas of the world and/or rural area far from clinical center.