Analysis of Dermatologic Counseling by PC Communication / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine(tele+medicine=medicine at a distance) is a health care delivery system to deliver health care to patients at distant sites. In Korea, medical counseling by PC communication is nearly the only available field in the telemedicine at present. However, the concerns of telemedicine is growing as an issue, and dermatologists in Korea should be prepared for "the era of teledermatology". OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the queries of PC communication and the internet. Based on the results of the analysis, we tried to establish a more effective medical counseling system by PC communication and make them basic data to prepare the utilization of telemedicine system. METHODS: We analyzed questions and answers in ten sites in a computer mediated communication system from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 1997. RESULTS: The proportion of questions in dermatologic area among all medical fields was relatively high(8.7-13.4%). The frequency was acne, urticaria, alopecia, and so on, in an order of high frequency, which was different from previous results in a statistical study of outpatients in dermatology. Reasons for questions were to know the treatment method(42.2%), to get the diagnosis (23.7%), and so on. Contents of answers were explanation(46.5%), advice to visit doctors(40.4%), and so on. CONCLUSION: The proportion of dermatologic questions in telemedicine was high, and there are possibilities of dermatology's being important in the future of telemedicine. Therefore, dermatologists should be prepared for the future telemedicine era. However, teledermatology should be evaluated thoroughly and improved because we could see some problems in that.

Usefulness of PC communications for medical information

BACKGROUND: A good deal of medical information is in circulation with the great advances in communication technology. This study sought to collect and classify a wide variety of data in circulation, to determine the effects of this medical information via PC on people, to see whether people feel that it is useful, and how it can be applied clinically. METHODS: Contents of medical information in circulation were classified and analyzed from domestic PC network including Chollian, Hitel, and Unitel. The survey was conducted with 700 subjects who were given medical counsel through above communicatian networks between August 1 and September 30, 1997. They were given questionnaires for usefulness of medical information via e-mail and among these, cross-sectional study was made with 336 respondents who were feasible for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Users of medical information currently in circulation can be roughly classified into general and professional ones. Information for general user can be grouped by its contents into one for medical common sense, medical consultation, First Aid, self-diagnasis, medical insurance, drug therapy, medical test interpretation, guide information for hospital and clinic visitors. The survey showed the following responsesn: PC communication was useful(70.8%), its education efficacy was higher than other measures(62.3%), it helped for the prevention of diseases(59.8%), it was useful in the reduction of medical fee (71.4%), I'll get the web information even if charged(63.1%), it helped for the correction of mistaken medical common sense(58.8%), it helped for the understanding of medical service in a hospital(63.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Practically, PC communication can provide general users medical information in a convenient and useful way. In addition, this information can be helpful in the reduction of medical fee and prevention of diseases, and more effective in patient education than other measures.

Medical Counseling by Internet / 대한의료정보학회지

Recent progress in medical informatics enables us to use medical information regardless of time or place, to make a diagnostic and therapeutic plan, according to increasing need about health of general population. There are many homepages on the web, which provides medical common senses, hospital information, and medical counselling on the web. Virtual Hospital, which offers comprehensive media information, has medical counselling program with various programs such as self-diagnosis, emergency information, drug information, Q and A, and so on. The aim of this study is to examine the content and purpose of medical counselling on the web. The subjects consisted of 150 counselings which were called 'Medical Counselling' in the Virtual Hospital for December 1996 through March 1997. Many questioners wanted to know treatment principles. to make a diagnosis, and to know specific medical knowledge, The most common questions are as follows; general and unspecified, digestive, skin, musculoskeletal problems. These findings suggests that medical counselling may be used to supplement the lack of direct medical interviews with doctors.