Therefore, it is wise to explore this capability with vendors when considering the purchase of a telemedicine system. A Cheap Form of Telemedicine One of the most cost effective forms of telemedicine is the online medical protocol. These are also called critical pathways and practice parameters. Protocols have been common to medical areas such as oncology for some time. They are growing in popularity in other medical areas such as cardiology, pediatrics and emergency medicine.
Protocols are a way to insure the level of medical care, and to get control of costs.
In the era of managed care we can expect the demand for protocols to grow. I have seen a growing demand for protocols among rural physicians. An effective tool for distributing protocols is Lotus Notes. Using a modern form of client-server interface, Lotus Notes can effectively communicate needed protocols using a wide range of communication modalities. They can be sent via fax, alphanumeric pager, and even voice mail systems.