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This is the ninth book in the Royal Society of Medicine’s series of multi-author books on telemedicine topics. The series aims to provide examples of best practice. This book’s predecessors are:

• The Legal and Ethical Aspects of Telemedicine, BA Stanberry, 1998
  
  
• Introduction to Telemedicine, R Wootton and J Craig (eds), 1999
  
  
• Teledermatology, R Wootton and AMM Oakley (eds), 2002
  
  
• Telepsychiatry and e-Mental Health, R Wootton, P Yellowlees and P McLaren (eds), 2003
  
  
• Telepediatrics: Telemedicine and Child Health, R Wootton and J Batch (eds), 2004
  
  
• Teleneurology, R Wootton and V Patterson (eds), 2005
  
  
• Introduction to Telemedicine, 2nd edition, R Wootton, J Craig and V Patterson (eds), 2006
  
  
• Home Telehealth: Connecting Care Within the Community, R Wootton, SL Dimmick and JC Kvedar (eds), 2006

Much has been written about the potential use of telemedicine in developing countries, but equally much of it has been criticized as little more than wishful thinking. While it is sometimes said that there are relatively few cost-effective and sustainable telemedicine projects in the industrialized world, there are even fewer in developing countries. The present volume therefore aims to summarize the experience of starting and sustaining telehealth projects in the developing world. It represents a description of how telemedicine in the broadest sense can be applied to improve the delivery of health care in developing countries.

The book’s contributors have substantial practical experience across a wide range of application areas, and most have published previous reports of their work in the peer-reviewed literature.

It is a pleasure to acknowledge the support of Canada’s International Research and Development Centre, the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, the Health Innovation and Information Technology Centre (HiiTeC) of the University of Calgary, and the U21 Health Sciences Group in the production of the book. We have divided the material into sections:

• background and introductory material
  
  
• a section on policy matters
  
  
• a section describing educational applications
  
  
• a section about clinical applications
  
  
• a view of the future.

We hope that within the broad spectrum of ideas expressed in this book everyone will find something of relevance. We also hope that you enjoy reading it.

RICHARD WOOTTON
Edinburgh, UK

KENDALL HO
Vancouver, Canada

NIVRITTI G PATIL
Hong Kong, China

RICHARD E SCOTT
Calgary, Canada

Document(s) 2 de 31