26
February 2000
Internet
brings both benefits and problems for medical field
(Keywords:
telemedicine, CME, health education, diagnosis over the Net)
With the booming of the internet, and the fact that
information and dialogue could be dissipated and conducted at
unexpected speed, it is of no surprise that telemedicine has also
jumped onto the bandwagon.
The use of modernised technology for the transfer of medical
knowledge is not new. For quite some time, satellite transmission
has been used for medical conference and case discussion.
Regrettably, such transmission was, and it still is, expensive,
pictures often lacked clarity for indepth and meaningful
discussions.
The use of the Internet is an
entire different ball game. The
cyber super-highway is not only within everybody's means even
for prolonged transfer of information, the system could transmit
high resolution, or next to perfect, images as plain X-ray, CT scan,
MRI etc. Similary, such
image could also be stored in a digital form for transmission on
demand via PACS -- picture archives communicating system.
A new page is turned in the
history of medical communication. Through the Net, a doctor can
receive his Continuing Medical Education (CME) at home or in his
serving hospital; a doctor can convey a patient's details in total
to another doctor for consultation, or as a reply to his referral; a
doctor can also assess his patient's conditions at home or in
another hospital.
Many medical institutions round
the world are now providing educational materials for doctors, both
local and overseas, often with assessment for granting
qualifications. Hopefully, such hi-tech modalities could help not
only those pursuing for specialist qualification; but also the many
generalists to keep abreast of medical knowledge for strengthening
our primary health care service.
Dissipation of public education
on health and healthy living is another area that the Net could
excel. Needless to say, medical institutions and business ventures
alike will grasp the opportunity to sell health care education and
advice. All these could prove to be useful.
Yet, providing diagnosis over
the "key in" information of a sick person and suggesting
methods of treatment is another issue. For one, the practice of
medicine is an art requiring face to face interaction. No proper
history of a patient's illness could replace a thorough examination,
where inspection, palpation and auscultation with a stethoscope of
the patient as a whole is available for a meaningful diagnosis. Many
minor ailments often mimic symptoms of life-threatening diseases and
vice versa. Experience of the practitioner could never be
substituted by the "intelligence" of the computer and the
Net.
In the event a patient accepts
the diagnosis and abide by the treatment with no improvement before
seeking proper medical help, is his treatment being delayed? Worse,
if the "treatment" provided via the Net proved to be
ineffective or even harmful, who will have to take the blame and
where would the patient obtain his recourse? Most of these websites
would, however, play safe and contain written declaration like:
"the advice is for reference only"; or "if you are in
doubt, seek a doctor's advice."
"Which doctor? What
doctor?" would probably be the next questions keyed into the
internet? Here, the medical profession should take heed, for the
mere mentioning of a doctor's name and specialty could land him
under the discipline of the profession's watchdog for advertising
and to be associated with a body or organisation that advertise.
It is therefore most timely
that, according to the press, the Medical Council is considering
means to monitor the discipline of doctors over the Net.
However, there are more problems
related to consumers' protection over the Net, which are beyond the
auspice of the
The selling of drugs or
self-care medical equipments not having
gained approval locally via the Net is one booming yet
problematic area for not only Hong Kong but world-wide. The
information technology experts in our Government are well advised to
show their wit.
(Hong
Kong
Standard)
|
