The Virtual Hospital as a Tool for Global Health

tele-TASK-Aufzeichnung des Vortrags

New developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have enabled the transmission of medical images in sufficiently high quality that allows for a reliable diagnosis to be determined by the expert at the receiving site. At the same time, however, these innovative developments in ICT over the last decade bear the risk of creating a digital divide in the world, thus amplifying the disparity in quality of life.
In the framework of the EMISPHER project a dedicated internet-satellite platform for Telemedicine in the Euro-Mediterranean area was deployed and put in operation. The network currently consists of 10 sites in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, France and Germany, and hosts key applications in the field of medical eLearning (courses for under-graduates, graduates, young medical professionals, etc., in real-time and asynchronous modes), real-time Telemedicine (second opinion, demonstration and spread of new techniques, Telementoring, etc.) and eHealth (medical assistance for tourists and expatriates). The EMISPHER network serves as a basis for the development and deployment of a Virtual Hospital for the Euro-Mediterranean region.
The Virtual Hospital aims to facilitate and accelerate the interconnection and interoperability of the various services being developed (by different organisations at different sites) through real integration. It will provide a heterogeneous integrated platform consisting of a satellite link and a terrestrial link for the application of various medical services, such as medical e-learning, real-time telemedicine and medical assistance. Fellowship programmes for the training of young medical doctors will be implemented and allow to gain experience in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment. The Virtual Hospital will foster cross-Mediterranean cooperation between the leading medical centres of the participating countries by establishing a permanent medical and scientific link thus helping to bridge the digital divide in healthcare. It will provide for medical professionals in the whole Euro-Mediterranean area access to the required quality of medical service depending on the individual needs of each of the partner and contribute to an improved level of healthcare in the whole Euro-Mediterranean region and build the basis for the introduction of Evidence-Based Medicine.

Sprache:    Deutsch
Gastgeber: Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel
Ort:           HS 1 
Datum:      Donnerstag, 09. Februar, 2006
Zeit:          16:00