In developed countries, such as Canada, the United States the United Kingdom and Japan a new term has been introduced to the lexicon of communications, Information Superhighway . This system will eventually enable people anywhere to send and receive written communications, data, pictures, or sound from health care institutions, schools, offices and homes. A new generation of computers is being developed that will enable the computer monitor to receive high-definition pictures. The benefits of these revolutionary technologies are already being felt in the health care system and the new era is just dawning. Global Child Health News and Review has compiled facts about fibre optics, the information superhighway and other leading edge technologies to provide readers an insight into the impact and benefits these developments will have on child health care, and medicine in general, today and in the future.
Developed countries have good health care systems.
However, soaring costs are triggering concern about their ability to afford to maintain such high standards of health care. It has been estimated that using the information highway for health care applications could eventually reduce costs by billions of dollars, while substantially increasing the quality of care available, no matter where patients live. Many telecom companies such as Canada's Stentor Group are already demonstrating several advanced communications applications that will help protect standards while reducing costs of health care. Global Child Health Society has developed the Global ChildNet system. Its official launch will be at the Child Health 2000 Congress, May 30 to June 3.