The potential for telemedicine and telecare in Deptford

We carried out a study to explore the potential of telemedicine and telecar e to improve health-care for the population served by a health centre based in Deptford in south-east London. A wide range of potentially useful telem edicine and telecare applications was identified, nine of which could provi de some immediate benefit. Others requiring new approaches to the delivery of care involved some reengineering of services. Some suggestions focused o n the need to integrate information technology with service provision. Othe r suggestions raised strategic questions, the most important of which conce rned the routes of access to health-care.