The Telecare, Telehealth and Telemedicine Special Interest Group exists to share experiences and proposals and analyse evidence within the rapidly evolving area of telemedicine. In particular, the Society seeks to ensure that older people are not adversely affected by a clinical decision-making process in which people receive a technology-centred treatment pathway without reference to their clinical ability to benefit.
Technical advances in information exchange coupled with societal demographic pressures exist to stimulate interest and deployment of a wide range of telecare and telehealth solutions. The area of telecare and telehealth should not be considered as a single entity, rather the field consists of many separate evolving divisions. Where systems offer clear empowerment, quality of life gains or reduction of risk to the individual and/or serve to improve markers of healthcare activity (hospital avoidance, reduced length of stay etc.) then these can be recommended.
