Telemedicine, the Internet, and world wide web: Overview, current status, and relevance to surgeons

The Information Age has made profound changes in society and is slowly ente ring the healthcare field. Some of the most important areas are telemedicin e, the Internet, and the world wide web (www). Millions of physicians, heal thcare providers, and patients are accessing the web daily for patient info rmation, consultation, and distant learning. Telemedicine is beginning to e nter the mainstream of health care after decades of demonstration projects. There are many issues which have been raised, such as access to the inform ation, the security of the information, and the quality of the content on t he web. While telemedicine is beginning to flower, there are numerous barri ers that prevent its rapid implementation, such as licensure, reimbursement , liability, quality of service, and technical issues. In spite of the nume rous challenges, telemedicine over the Internet was practiced in one of the most remote areas of the world - Mt. Everest - demonstrating that it is po ssible to utilize all the latest healthcare telecommunications tools in eve n the most extreme of settings.