Twelve months' experience with telemedicine for the British armed forces

In 1998, a low-cost telemedicine system was established for the British arm ed forces in Bosnia. It involved a digital camera, computer, email and a te lephone link between the remote site and the UK. Images were transferred to a PC and forwarded to specialists in the UK, who replied within 24 hours. In the first 11 months of use, there were 60 referrals from one remote site . Clinical management following specialist advice was significantly altered in a third of these cases, with additional reassurance offered in 13% of c ases. When other sites were connected the usage of the service doubled. Thi s inexpensive system provided effective care to our patients, irrespective of location.