NASA invented telemedicine in the 1960s as a way to monitor astronaut health on space missions. Today, it’s used to electronically exchange medical information between patients, clients and health providers, affording greater access to medical evaluation and improving patient care.

Electronic medical data, such as high resolution images and live video, is transferred through a variety of telecommunications technologies, from fiber optics and satellites to a simple telephone line. A growing number of medical specialties rely on telemedicine to serve patients in areas including adult rehabilitation, dermatology, emergency services, home health care, nephrology, pathology, pediatrics, perinatology, primary care, psychiatry and radiology. Perhaps more than any other mode, this technology has the potential of having a significant impact on the future of medicine.