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ARMTELEMED CONGRESS WILL GIVE AN IMPORTANT STIMULUS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TELEMEDICINE AND EHEALTH IN ARMENIA - DR. GEORGI CHALTIKYAN
Mediamax
Aug 16, 2011
Armenia
The First Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth
"ARMTELEMED: Road to the Future" will take place on October 14-16 in
Yerevan under the auspices of International Society for Telemedicine
and eHealth (ISfTeH) and American Telemedicine Association (ATA). The
event is co-organized by the Armenian Association of Telemedicine
(AATM), the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University (RAU), and the
Union of Information Technology Enterprises of Armenia (UITE). The
highlights of the forthcoming event and the current situation in
telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia are presented in an interview
with Mediamax and Itel.am by the Founding President of the Armenian
Association of Telemedicine, Dr. Georgi Chaltikyan.
- What are the major functions of the Armenian Association of
Telemedicine (aaôí) and what are the association's priorities in
developing the field of telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia?
- aaôí is a non-governmental organization established in 2008 with a
mission to assist to the development of telemedicine and eHealth (also
known as Health ICT) in Armenia, to ensure wider use of Information
and Communication Technologies in medicine and healthcare.
eHealth is a rather broad concept describing the use of all
electronic and digital applications to support healthcare delivery,
administration, education and research, while the main focus of
telemedicine is the provision of clinical care remotely, when the
patient and the physician or two or more physicians are separated by
a considerable distance.
Today there are multiple telemedicine programs and networks operating
all over the world. Highly specialized clinical care is typically
concentrated in large metropolitan areas, while people living in
remote especially rural communities often lack local specialist
physicians and often need to travel long distance to see a narrow
specialist. Telemedicine is capable of solving that problem.
Telemedicine and eHealth applications are also critical for
the continuous medical education and professional development of
physicians. Consider a general practitioner working in a remote or
isolated area of Armenia who, with the help of telemedicine tools,
is able to consult with a specialist working in a major city in the
country or even outside Armenia to get help in treating patients and
also to receive latest news and updates on patients' management.
- What kind of remote patient-doctor interaction exists today? To
what extent can it replace the traditional clinical care?
- Today, healthcare delivery becomes more and more dependent on
internet and digital technologies. Here is a typical example: an ECG
(electrocardiogram) can now easily be obtained using a special digital
device in the comfort of patient's home and sent to the cardiologist
via internet or other telecommunication link. The doctor can see
the ECG trace, for example, on his/her smartphone while being on a
business trip, on board a plane, or even on vacation, and can "consult"
the patient or provide advice. By the way, talking about smartphones
it should be noted that today's telemedicine is increasingly using
mobile devices and wireless connections.
- What the role of telemedicine might be in surgery? Is it more of
a science fiction or a matter of remote future?
- The surgery is the most conservative field of healthcare in
this regard. If non-surgical care, such as medication treatment or
diagnostic services (such as reading an X-ray film or a computed
tomography image) can easily be provided at a distance using
contemporary digital technologies, it is much more complicated with
regard to a surgical procedure. Nevertheless, even in this field the
first steps have already been done.
We are speaking about surgical procedures performed with the help
of special surgical robots, when the surgeon, using joystick-like
manipulators, controls robotic "arms" holding the surgical
instruments. Such robots are widely used today in developed countries;
in some countries, like the USA, robotic-assisted surgeries have
largely become a standard of treatment for some conditions, such as
removal of the prostate for example.
Even though the surgeon, who is operating using the robot, is in
the same operation theater, yet is physically separated from the
patient and controls the procedure from the manipulating console
using the "joysticks". Hence, the same can well be achieved with the
surgeon seating not in the same room but a thousand miles away if the
manipulating console is linked to the robot "arms" via a high-speed
internet connection just like a French surgeon, professor Jacques
Marescaux from the European Institute of Telesurgery (EITS) did
back in 2001, when he operated from New-York on a patient located
in Strasburg. However, such cases are still considered largely
experimental.
- The most dramatic telemedicine experience in Armenia dates back to
1988, when in the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake American
doctors consulted their Armenian colleagues through a satellite
connection established by NASA (the Spacebridge project). That
gave Armenian specialists unique experience. To what extent is that
experience applicable today?
- Indeed, Armenia acquired a definite telemedicine experience rather
early, when telemedicine technologies were in infancy even in developed
countries. Unfortunately, just as it often happens, that experience
came as a result of tragic circumstances. It should be noted that
telemedicine today is regarded as a powerful tool especially in the
settings of natural or man-made calamities.
In the years following the earthquake telemedicine in Armenia has
not been developing to any serious extent due to many understandable
reasons (such as social and economic breakdown, lack of financing
and investments etc). In fact, one of the major prerequisites for the
establishment of our association was the significant advancement of
the Information and Communication Technologies field in the country
in the last 10 years.
Today, it is still premature to speak of significant developments in
the field of telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia. There are several
programs fueled by a group of enthusiasts. Some healthcare institutions
have videoconferencing equipment and external (international) partners,
who episodically consult their patients. All these are, however,
little more than rare examples. We do not yet have sustainable regular
telemedicine and eHealth programs or services.
- What is AATM doing to promote systemic development of telemedicine
and eHealth in Armenia?
- We are trying to intensify and support the use of telemedicine
and eHealth in the country. The association has already had first
experience with own telemedicine programs. The first pilot project
supported by USAID grant was conducted in 2010. Within the framework
of the project leading specialists from Yerevan provided clinical
consultations to patients presenting to a primary healthcare center
in Jrashen village of Lori region (north of Armenia). The project
was followed by a series of similar initiatives.
Our vision is to establish a nationwide telemedicine network connecting
all hospitals, clinics and rural out-patient primary care facilities
throughout Armenia, giving patients and their managing physicians Æn
opportunity to consult with specialists country-wide whenever needed.
Another goal is the development of an Armenian eHealth portal -
a single universal electronic interface accessible to and used by
both patients and healthcare professionals. I am quite sure we will
witness serious progress in the above areas in the forthcoming years.
Our association is the national member of the International Society
for Telemedicine and eHealth from Armenia, thus representing our
country within that global structure. It is also worth mentioning that
thanks to association's vast international relations and important
collaborations built worldwide, AATM today offers its member physicians
as well as presenting patients an opportunity to consult with leading
specialists from around the globe, primarily in Europe and North
America.
- Back to the congress: who is going to participate and what will be
the major topics of discussion?
- "ARMTELEMED" International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth is
going to be the first event of that format, scope and magnitude not
only in Armenia but also in the region. The major goal of the meeting
is to bring together in the single forum all those interested in
telemedicine and eHealth from the domains of healthcare, Information
and Communication Technologies as well as from the government and
other regulatory bodies to boost development of the field in Armenia.
The congress will feature keynote presentations by leading
international specialists with immense experience of developing
telemedicine and eHealth. Many of them are truly pioneers and founders
of the field worldwide, who in their own (and other) countries followed
the entire pathway of telemedicine development and installation of
necessary infrastructure. Due to active international policy of AATM
and global partnership created, these experts consented to visit
Armenia and share their invaluable experience with the congress
audience. It is further expected that the congress will be attended
by more than 300 delegates.
The highlights of three days of congress work will be widely
disseminated among telemedicine and eHealth specialists around the
world, making Armenia more recognizable in the field. That will also
allow local organizations, companies and professionals involved
or interested in the telemedicine domain to present themselves on
the international arena. In my opinion, the event will become an
important impetus to further development of telemedicine and eHealth
in Armenia: it will impart new momentum to the field and facilitate
inflow of investments.
Subject: ARMTELEMED Congress Will Give An Important Stimulus To The
Development Of Telemedicine And EHealth In Armenia
ARMTELEMED CONGRESS WILL GIVE AN IMPORTANT STIMULUS TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF TELEMEDICINE AND EHEALTH IN ARMENIA - DR. GEORGI CHALTIKYAN
Mediamax Aug 16, 2011 Armenia
The First Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth
"ARMTELEMED: Road to the Future" will take place on October 14-16 in
Yerevan under the auspices of International Society for Telemedicine
and eHealth (ISfTeH) and American Telemedicine Association (ATA). The
event is co-organized by the Armenian Association of Telemedicine
(AATM), the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University (RAU), and the
Union of Information Technology Enterprises of Armenia (UITE). The
highlights of the forthcoming event and the current situation in
telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia are presented in an interview
with Mediamax and Itel.am by the Founding President of the Armenian
Association of Telemedicine, Dr. Georgi Chaltikyan.
- What are the major functions of the Armenian Association of
Telemedicine (aaôí) and what are the association's priorities in
developing the field of telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia?
- aaôí is a non-governmental organization established in 2008 with a
mission to assist to the development of telemedicine and eHealth (also
known as Health ICT) in Armenia, to ensure wider use of Information
and Communication Technologies in medicine and healthcare.
eHealth is a rather broad concept describing the use of all
electronic and digital applications to support healthcare delivery,
administration, education and research, while the main focus of
telemedicine is the provision of clinical care remotely, when the
patient and the physician or two or more physicians are separated by
a considerable distance.
Today there are multiple telemedicine programs and networks operating
all over the world. Highly specialized clinical care is typically
concentrated in large metropolitan areas, while people living in
remote especially rural communities often lack local specialist
physicians and often need to travel long distance to see a narrow
specialist. Telemedicine is capable of solving that problem.
Telemedicine and eHealth applications are also critical for
the continuous medical education and professional development of
physicians. Consider a general practitioner working in a remote or
isolated area of Armenia who, with the help of telemedicine tools,
is able to consult with a specialist working in a major city in the
country or even outside Armenia to get help in treating patients and
also to receive latest news and updates on patients' management.
- What kind of remote patient-doctor interaction exists today? To
what extent can it replace the traditional clinical care?
- Today, healthcare delivery becomes more and more dependent on
internet and digital technologies. Here is a typical example: an ECG
(electrocardiogram) can now easily be obtained using a special digital
device in the comfort of patient's home and sent to the cardiologist
via internet or other telecommunication link. The doctor can see
the ECG trace, for example, on his/her smartphone while being on a
business trip, on board a plane, or even on vacation, and can "consult"
the patient or provide advice. By the way, talking about smartphones
it should be noted that today's telemedicine is increasingly using
mobile devices and wireless connections.
- What the role of telemedicine might be in surgery? Is it more of
a science fiction or a matter of remote future?
- The surgery is the most conservative field of healthcare in
this regard. If non-surgical care, such as medication treatment or
diagnostic services (such as reading an X-ray film or a computed
tomography image) can easily be provided at a distance using
contemporary digital technologies, it is much more complicated with
regard to a surgical procedure. Nevertheless, even in this field the
first steps have already been done.
We are speaking about surgical procedures performed with the help
of special surgical robots, when the surgeon, using joystick-like
manipulators, controls robotic "arms" holding the surgical
instruments. Such robots are widely used today in developed countries;
in some countries, like the USA, robotic-assisted surgeries have
largely become a standard of treatment for some conditions, such as
removal of the prostate for example.
Even though the surgeon, who is operating using the robot, is in
the same operation theater, yet is physically separated from the
patient and controls the procedure from the manipulating console
using the "joysticks". Hence, the same can well be achieved with the
surgeon seating not in the same room but a thousand miles away if the
manipulating console is linked to the robot "arms" via a high-speed
internet connection just like a French surgeon, professor Jacques
Marescaux from the European Institute of Telesurgery (EITS) did
back in 2001, when he operated from New-York on a patient located
in Strasburg. However, such cases are still considered largely
experimental.
- The most dramatic telemedicine experience in Armenia dates back to
1988, when in the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake American
doctors consulted their Armenian colleagues through a satellite
connection established by NASA (the Spacebridge project). That
gave Armenian specialists unique experience. To what extent is that
experience applicable today?
- Indeed, Armenia acquired a definite telemedicine experience rather
early, when telemedicine technologies were in infancy even in developed
countries. Unfortunately, just as it often happens, that experience
came as a result of tragic circumstances. It should be noted that
telemedicine today is regarded as a powerful tool especially in the
settings of natural or man-made calamities.
In the years following the earthquake telemedicine in Armenia has
not been developing to any serious extent due to many understandable
reasons (such as social and economic breakdown, lack of financing
and investments etc). In fact, one of the major prerequisites for the
establishment of our association was the significant advancement of
the Information and Communication Technologies field in the country
in the last 10 years.
Today, it is still premature to speak of significant developments in
the field of telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia. There are several
programs fueled by a group of enthusiasts. Some healthcare institutions
have videoconferencing equipment and external (international) partners,
who episodically consult their patients. All these are, however,
little more than rare examples. We do not yet have sustainable regular
telemedicine and eHealth programs or services.
- What is AATM doing to promote systemic development of telemedicine
and eHealth in Armenia?
- We are trying to intensify and support the use of telemedicine
and eHealth in the country. The association has already had first
experience with own telemedicine programs. The first pilot project
supported by USAID grant was conducted in 2010. Within the framework
of the project leading specialists from Yerevan provided clinical
consultations to patients presenting to a primary healthcare center
in Jrashen village of Lori region (north of Armenia). The project
was followed by a series of similar initiatives.
Our vision is to establish a nationwide telemedicine network connecting
all hospitals, clinics and rural out-patient primary care facilities
throughout Armenia, giving patients and their managing physicians Æn
opportunity to consult with specialists country-wide whenever needed.
Another goal is the development of an Armenian eHealth portal -
a single universal electronic interface accessible to and used by
both patients and healthcare professionals. I am quite sure we will
witness serious progress in the above areas in the forthcoming years.
Our association is the national member of the International Society
for Telemedicine and eHealth from Armenia, thus representing our
country within that global structure. It is also worth mentioning that
thanks to association's vast international relations and important
collaborations built worldwide, AATM today offers its member physicians
as well as presenting patients an opportunity to consult with leading
specialists from around the globe, primarily in Europe and North
America.
- Back to the congress: who is going to participate and what will be
the major topics of discussion?
- "ARMTELEMED" International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth is
going to be the first event of that format, scope and magnitude not
only in Armenia but also in the region. The major goal of the meeting
is to bring together in the single forum all those interested in
telemedicine and eHealth from the domains of healthcare, Information
and Communication Technologies as well as from the government and
other regulatory bodies to boost development of the field in Armenia.
The congress will feature keynote presentations by leading
international specialists with immense experience of developing
telemedicine and eHealth. Many of them are truly pioneers and founders
of the field worldwide, who in their own (and other) countries followed
the entire pathway of telemedicine development and installation of
necessary infrastructure. Due to active international policy of AATM
and global partnership created, these experts consented to visit
Armenia and share their invaluable experience with the congress
audience. It is further expected that the congress will be attended
by more than 300 delegates.
The highlights of three days of congress work will be widely
disseminated among telemedicine and eHealth specialists around the
world, making Armenia more recognizable in the field. That will also
allow local organizations, companies and professionals involved
or interested in the telemedicine domain to present themselves on
the international arena. In my opinion, the event will become an
important impetus to further development of telemedicine and eHealth
in Armenia: it will impart new momentum to the field and facilitate
inflow of investments.
Mediamax
Aug 16, 2011
Armenia
The First Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth
"ARMTELEMED: Road to the Future" will take place on October 14-16 in
Yerevan under the auspices of International Society for Telemedicine
and eHealth (ISfTeH) and American Telemedicine Association (ATA). The
event is co-organized by the Armenian Association of Telemedicine
(AATM), the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University (RAU), and the
Union of Information Technology Enterprises of Armenia (UITE). The
highlights of the forthcoming event and the current situation in
telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia are presented in an interview
with Mediamax and Itel.am by the Founding President of the Armenian
Association of Telemedicine, Dr. Georgi Chaltikyan.
- What are the major functions of the Armenian Association of
Telemedicine (aaôí) and what are the association's priorities in
developing the field of telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia?
- aaôí is a non-governmental organization established in 2008 with a
mission to assist to the development of telemedicine and eHealth (also
known as Health ICT) in Armenia, to ensure wider use of Information
and Communication Technologies in medicine and healthcare.
eHealth is a rather broad concept describing the use of all
electronic and digital applications to support healthcare delivery,
administration, education and research, while the main focus of
telemedicine is the provision of clinical care remotely, when the
patient and the physician or two or more physicians are separated by
a considerable distance.
Today there are multiple telemedicine programs and networks operating
all over the world. Highly specialized clinical care is typically
concentrated in large metropolitan areas, while people living in
remote especially rural communities often lack local specialist
physicians and often need to travel long distance to see a narrow
specialist. Telemedicine is capable of solving that problem.
Telemedicine and eHealth applications are also critical for
the continuous medical education and professional development of
physicians. Consider a general practitioner working in a remote or
isolated area of Armenia who, with the help of telemedicine tools,
is able to consult with a specialist working in a major city in the
country or even outside Armenia to get help in treating patients and
also to receive latest news and updates on patients' management.
- What kind of remote patient-doctor interaction exists today? To
what extent can it replace the traditional clinical care?
- Today, healthcare delivery becomes more and more dependent on
internet and digital technologies. Here is a typical example: an ECG
(electrocardiogram) can now easily be obtained using a special digital
device in the comfort of patient's home and sent to the cardiologist
via internet or other telecommunication link. The doctor can see
the ECG trace, for example, on his/her smartphone while being on a
business trip, on board a plane, or even on vacation, and can "consult"
the patient or provide advice. By the way, talking about smartphones
it should be noted that today's telemedicine is increasingly using
mobile devices and wireless connections.
- What the role of telemedicine might be in surgery? Is it more of
a science fiction or a matter of remote future?
- The surgery is the most conservative field of healthcare in
this regard. If non-surgical care, such as medication treatment or
diagnostic services (such as reading an X-ray film or a computed
tomography image) can easily be provided at a distance using
contemporary digital technologies, it is much more complicated with
regard to a surgical procedure. Nevertheless, even in this field the
first steps have already been done.
We are speaking about surgical procedures performed with the help
of special surgical robots, when the surgeon, using joystick-like
manipulators, controls robotic "arms" holding the surgical
instruments. Such robots are widely used today in developed countries;
in some countries, like the USA, robotic-assisted surgeries have
largely become a standard of treatment for some conditions, such as
removal of the prostate for example.
Even though the surgeon, who is operating using the robot, is in
the same operation theater, yet is physically separated from the
patient and controls the procedure from the manipulating console
using the "joysticks". Hence, the same can well be achieved with the
surgeon seating not in the same room but a thousand miles away if the
manipulating console is linked to the robot "arms" via a high-speed
internet connection just like a French surgeon, professor Jacques
Marescaux from the European Institute of Telesurgery (EITS) did
back in 2001, when he operated from New-York on a patient located
in Strasburg. However, such cases are still considered largely
experimental.
- The most dramatic telemedicine experience in Armenia dates back to
1988, when in the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake American
doctors consulted their Armenian colleagues through a satellite
connection established by NASA (the Spacebridge project). That
gave Armenian specialists unique experience. To what extent is that
experience applicable today?
- Indeed, Armenia acquired a definite telemedicine experience rather
early, when telemedicine technologies were in infancy even in developed
countries. Unfortunately, just as it often happens, that experience
came as a result of tragic circumstances. It should be noted that
telemedicine today is regarded as a powerful tool especially in the
settings of natural or man-made calamities.
In the years following the earthquake telemedicine in Armenia has
not been developing to any serious extent due to many understandable
reasons (such as social and economic breakdown, lack of financing
and investments etc). In fact, one of the major prerequisites for the
establishment of our association was the significant advancement of
the Information and Communication Technologies field in the country
in the last 10 years.
Today, it is still premature to speak of significant developments in
the field of telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia. There are several
programs fueled by a group of enthusiasts. Some healthcare institutions
have videoconferencing equipment and external (international) partners,
who episodically consult their patients. All these are, however,
little more than rare examples. We do not yet have sustainable regular
telemedicine and eHealth programs or services.
- What is AATM doing to promote systemic development of telemedicine
and eHealth in Armenia?
- We are trying to intensify and support the use of telemedicine
and eHealth in the country. The association has already had first
experience with own telemedicine programs. The first pilot project
supported by USAID grant was conducted in 2010. Within the framework
of the project leading specialists from Yerevan provided clinical
consultations to patients presenting to a primary healthcare center
in Jrashen village of Lori region (north of Armenia). The project
was followed by a series of similar initiatives.
Our vision is to establish a nationwide telemedicine network connecting
all hospitals, clinics and rural out-patient primary care facilities
throughout Armenia, giving patients and their managing physicians Æn
opportunity to consult with specialists country-wide whenever needed.
Another goal is the development of an Armenian eHealth portal -
a single universal electronic interface accessible to and used by
both patients and healthcare professionals. I am quite sure we will
witness serious progress in the above areas in the forthcoming years.
Our association is the national member of the International Society
for Telemedicine and eHealth from Armenia, thus representing our
country within that global structure. It is also worth mentioning that
thanks to association's vast international relations and important
collaborations built worldwide, AATM today offers its member physicians
as well as presenting patients an opportunity to consult with leading
specialists from around the globe, primarily in Europe and North
America.
- Back to the congress: who is going to participate and what will be
the major topics of discussion?
- "ARMTELEMED" International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth is
going to be the first event of that format, scope and magnitude not
only in Armenia but also in the region. The major goal of the meeting
is to bring together in the single forum all those interested in
telemedicine and eHealth from the domains of healthcare, Information
and Communication Technologies as well as from the government and
other regulatory bodies to boost development of the field in Armenia.
The congress will feature keynote presentations by leading
international specialists with immense experience of developing
telemedicine and eHealth. Many of them are truly pioneers and founders
of the field worldwide, who in their own (and other) countries followed
the entire pathway of telemedicine development and installation of
necessary infrastructure. Due to active international policy of AATM
and global partnership created, these experts consented to visit
Armenia and share their invaluable experience with the congress
audience. It is further expected that the congress will be attended
by more than 300 delegates.
The highlights of three days of congress work will be widely
disseminated among telemedicine and eHealth specialists around the
world, making Armenia more recognizable in the field. That will also
allow local organizations, companies and professionals involved
or interested in the telemedicine domain to present themselves on
the international arena. In my opinion, the event will become an
important impetus to further development of telemedicine and eHealth
in Armenia: it will impart new momentum to the field and facilitate
inflow of investments.
Subject: ARMTELEMED Congress Will Give An Important Stimulus To The
Development Of Telemedicine And EHealth In Armenia
ARMTELEMED CONGRESS WILL GIVE AN IMPORTANT STIMULUS TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF TELEMEDICINE AND EHEALTH IN ARMENIA - DR. GEORGI CHALTIKYAN
Mediamax Aug 16, 2011 Armenia
The First Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth
"ARMTELEMED: Road to the Future" will take place on October 14-16 in
Yerevan under the auspices of International Society for Telemedicine
and eHealth (ISfTeH) and American Telemedicine Association (ATA). The
event is co-organized by the Armenian Association of Telemedicine
(AATM), the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University (RAU), and the
Union of Information Technology Enterprises of Armenia (UITE). The
highlights of the forthcoming event and the current situation in
telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia are presented in an interview
with Mediamax and Itel.am by the Founding President of the Armenian
Association of Telemedicine, Dr. Georgi Chaltikyan.
- What are the major functions of the Armenian Association of
Telemedicine (aaôí) and what are the association's priorities in
developing the field of telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia?
- aaôí is a non-governmental organization established in 2008 with a
mission to assist to the development of telemedicine and eHealth (also
known as Health ICT) in Armenia, to ensure wider use of Information
and Communication Technologies in medicine and healthcare.
eHealth is a rather broad concept describing the use of all
electronic and digital applications to support healthcare delivery,
administration, education and research, while the main focus of
telemedicine is the provision of clinical care remotely, when the
patient and the physician or two or more physicians are separated by
a considerable distance.
Today there are multiple telemedicine programs and networks operating
all over the world. Highly specialized clinical care is typically
concentrated in large metropolitan areas, while people living in
remote especially rural communities often lack local specialist
physicians and often need to travel long distance to see a narrow
specialist. Telemedicine is capable of solving that problem.
Telemedicine and eHealth applications are also critical for
the continuous medical education and professional development of
physicians. Consider a general practitioner working in a remote or
isolated area of Armenia who, with the help of telemedicine tools,
is able to consult with a specialist working in a major city in the
country or even outside Armenia to get help in treating patients and
also to receive latest news and updates on patients' management.
- What kind of remote patient-doctor interaction exists today? To
what extent can it replace the traditional clinical care?
- Today, healthcare delivery becomes more and more dependent on
internet and digital technologies. Here is a typical example: an ECG
(electrocardiogram) can now easily be obtained using a special digital
device in the comfort of patient's home and sent to the cardiologist
via internet or other telecommunication link. The doctor can see
the ECG trace, for example, on his/her smartphone while being on a
business trip, on board a plane, or even on vacation, and can "consult"
the patient or provide advice. By the way, talking about smartphones
it should be noted that today's telemedicine is increasingly using
mobile devices and wireless connections.
- What the role of telemedicine might be in surgery? Is it more of
a science fiction or a matter of remote future?
- The surgery is the most conservative field of healthcare in
this regard. If non-surgical care, such as medication treatment or
diagnostic services (such as reading an X-ray film or a computed
tomography image) can easily be provided at a distance using
contemporary digital technologies, it is much more complicated with
regard to a surgical procedure. Nevertheless, even in this field the
first steps have already been done.
We are speaking about surgical procedures performed with the help
of special surgical robots, when the surgeon, using joystick-like
manipulators, controls robotic "arms" holding the surgical
instruments. Such robots are widely used today in developed countries;
in some countries, like the USA, robotic-assisted surgeries have
largely become a standard of treatment for some conditions, such as
removal of the prostate for example.
Even though the surgeon, who is operating using the robot, is in
the same operation theater, yet is physically separated from the
patient and controls the procedure from the manipulating console
using the "joysticks". Hence, the same can well be achieved with the
surgeon seating not in the same room but a thousand miles away if the
manipulating console is linked to the robot "arms" via a high-speed
internet connection just like a French surgeon, professor Jacques
Marescaux from the European Institute of Telesurgery (EITS) did
back in 2001, when he operated from New-York on a patient located
in Strasburg. However, such cases are still considered largely
experimental.
- The most dramatic telemedicine experience in Armenia dates back to
1988, when in the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake American
doctors consulted their Armenian colleagues through a satellite
connection established by NASA (the Spacebridge project). That
gave Armenian specialists unique experience. To what extent is that
experience applicable today?
- Indeed, Armenia acquired a definite telemedicine experience rather
early, when telemedicine technologies were in infancy even in developed
countries. Unfortunately, just as it often happens, that experience
came as a result of tragic circumstances. It should be noted that
telemedicine today is regarded as a powerful tool especially in the
settings of natural or man-made calamities.
In the years following the earthquake telemedicine in Armenia has
not been developing to any serious extent due to many understandable
reasons (such as social and economic breakdown, lack of financing
and investments etc). In fact, one of the major prerequisites for the
establishment of our association was the significant advancement of
the Information and Communication Technologies field in the country
in the last 10 years.
Today, it is still premature to speak of significant developments in
the field of telemedicine and eHealth in Armenia. There are several
programs fueled by a group of enthusiasts. Some healthcare institutions
have videoconferencing equipment and external (international) partners,
who episodically consult their patients. All these are, however,
little more than rare examples. We do not yet have sustainable regular
telemedicine and eHealth programs or services.
- What is AATM doing to promote systemic development of telemedicine
and eHealth in Armenia?
- We are trying to intensify and support the use of telemedicine
and eHealth in the country. The association has already had first
experience with own telemedicine programs. The first pilot project
supported by USAID grant was conducted in 2010. Within the framework
of the project leading specialists from Yerevan provided clinical
consultations to patients presenting to a primary healthcare center
in Jrashen village of Lori region (north of Armenia). The project
was followed by a series of similar initiatives.
Our vision is to establish a nationwide telemedicine network connecting
all hospitals, clinics and rural out-patient primary care facilities
throughout Armenia, giving patients and their managing physicians Æn
opportunity to consult with specialists country-wide whenever needed.
Another goal is the development of an Armenian eHealth portal -
a single universal electronic interface accessible to and used by
both patients and healthcare professionals. I am quite sure we will
witness serious progress in the above areas in the forthcoming years.
Our association is the national member of the International Society
for Telemedicine and eHealth from Armenia, thus representing our
country within that global structure. It is also worth mentioning that
thanks to association's vast international relations and important
collaborations built worldwide, AATM today offers its member physicians
as well as presenting patients an opportunity to consult with leading
specialists from around the globe, primarily in Europe and North
America.
- Back to the congress: who is going to participate and what will be
the major topics of discussion?
- "ARMTELEMED" International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth is
going to be the first event of that format, scope and magnitude not
only in Armenia but also in the region. The major goal of the meeting
is to bring together in the single forum all those interested in
telemedicine and eHealth from the domains of healthcare, Information
and Communication Technologies as well as from the government and
other regulatory bodies to boost development of the field in Armenia.
The congress will feature keynote presentations by leading
international specialists with immense experience of developing
telemedicine and eHealth. Many of them are truly pioneers and founders
of the field worldwide, who in their own (and other) countries followed
the entire pathway of telemedicine development and installation of
necessary infrastructure. Due to active international policy of AATM
and global partnership created, these experts consented to visit
Armenia and share their invaluable experience with the congress
audience. It is further expected that the congress will be attended
by more than 300 delegates.
The highlights of three days of congress work will be widely
disseminated among telemedicine and eHealth specialists around the
world, making Armenia more recognizable in the field. That will also
allow local organizations, companies and professionals involved
or interested in the telemedicine domain to present themselves on
the international arena. In my opinion, the event will become an
important impetus to further development of telemedicine and eHealth
in Armenia: it will impart new momentum to the field and facilitate
inflow of investments.