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Telemedicine protocols and standards: development and implementation
B A Houtchens1, A Allen, T P Clemmer
1University of Utah Department of Surgery, Salt Lake City 84108, USA.
Journal of Medical Systems
|April 1, 1995
Summary
Telemedicine will integrate existing standards for medical practice. Understanding and influencing these protocols is key for optimizing telemedicine system development and evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Health Information Technology Standards
Background:
- Telemedicine is rapidly integrating into mainstream medical practice.
- Effective telemedicine relies on robust protocols and standards for seamless operation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the adoption and development of telemedicine protocols and standards.
- To identify key stakeholders in the standards-setting process.
- To review existing standards relevant to telemedicine implementation.
Main Methods:
- Identified key participants in standards setting: international government, US government, professional organizations, and independent institutes.
- Reviewed roles in establishing standards for patient/provider identification, record structure, terminology, and data transfer.
- Addressed image handling, resolution impact, communication protocols, and data linking.
Main Results:
- Telemedicine is adopting existing standards rather than creating new ones.
- Key areas for standardization include patient identification, data structure, medical codes, and secure data transfer.
- Image quality, communication protocols, and data integration are critical for clinical accuracy and system evaluation.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing telemedicine requires understanding current standards and influencing future development.
- Collaboration among diverse stakeholders is essential for effective telemedicine standardization.
- Standardization efforts must address technical, clinical, and data management aspects of telemedicine systems.