In 2010, the World Health Organization came up with a broad description of telemedicine, “The delivery of health care services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health care professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of health care providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities”.
However, the dynamic change in technology allowed for the evolution of telemedicine and currently telemedicine not only includes telephone calls, but also video chats and contact via the internet. Later on, the term “Telehealth” extended the scope of telemedicine by incorporating a “broader set of activities, including patient and provider education in addition to patient care”. The term “Telemedicine” was first introduced and described as “delivery of medical care without the usual patient-physician confrontation.” in 1969.
