Design of CSCW applications for medical teleconsultation and remote diagnosis support

Recent advances in telecommunication technology have permitted the implementation of tools for Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) based on real time transmission of different information types between two or more stations. The present paper describes methods for the design of both synchronous and asynchronous CSCW procedures suitable for the medical application area and specifically for the purpose of medical consultation and more generally, remote diagnosis support. The experimental implementation of such a CSCW system built upon a Personal Computer/Windows platform is detailed as an example of such a low-cost system suitable for adoption in a wide-range of medical teleconsultation applications.