|
INFORMATION |
The
Second IASTED International Conference on
TELEHEALTH
~TELEHEALTH 2006~
July 3-5, 2006
Banff,
Alberta, Canada
"Telemedicine
and Telehealth in Low Resource Settings: From Inception
to Reality"
Maria
Zolfo
Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium
mzolfo@itg.be
Description
of Session
Telemedicine
and telehealth are using technology to provide medical assistance
over large distances, improving care for people often living
in remote areas. Since the ARPANET project of the U.S. Department
of Defence (the precursor of the Internet), and the onset
of the World Wide Web, more than 35 years of Internet use
and experience are marking the digital gap between resource
rich and resource poor countries. Talking about lack of
financial resources, limited investment in information and
communication technology (ICT) infrastructures, adverse
geographical conditions, and low levels of ICT skills and
computer literacy, we will touch only few elements characterizing
the digital gap between ICT users and non-users (the vertical
divide) on one hand and between the quality and intensity
of use among ICT users (the horizontal divide) on the other.
In the developed world almost all dimensions of health care
are now supported by technology applications, and ICT is
used not only to promote better health but also to change
behaviour, improve decision making, promote information
exchange, and enhance health.
What about telehealth
in low resource settings? With this Special Session Proposal
we would like to meet:
- Successful
examples of telemedicine and telehealth in low resource
settings.
- Technology
innovations to build a digital bridge.
- New challenges
for telemedicine applications in low resource settings.
ICT can help
reduce disparities in resource-limited settings by improving
the access to information, education, and communication
for health workers and communities. The intent of this Special
Session Proposal is to present examples of troubled situations
where telemedicine and telehealth have played a crucial
role.
Biography
of the Session Organizer
Maria
Zolfo, M.D., is a specialist in Infectious Diseases
(Catholic University, Rome). She trained in Tropical Diseases
at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, and she
worked from 1999 till 2003 for an international organization
in Zimbabwe. Since 2003 she has been back in Europe working
at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, in the HIV/AIDS
unit - subunit overseas, responsible for a Telemedicine
project giving distance advice on HIV/AIDS care to colleagues
working in low resource settings. She is particularly interested
in the topic of AIDS care in developing countries, remote
consultations, and distance learning.
Submit your paper
to the session organizer by April 10, 2005.
Preferred e-mail address for receiving papers: mzolfo@itg.be
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