t
rial the scale of that trial , there still wasn ’ t enough definitive evidence , according to him , and that appears to be part of a wider ambiguity when it comes to understanding the costs and benefits of these systems .
There are , however , some parts of the world , including a few Mediterranean countries , which have pushed ahead in terms of embracing the benefits of telemedicine . “ Spain and Italy have got what I would regard as mainstream services ,” says the 61-year-old . “ The Veterans
Health Administration in America does use a lot of telehealth .
“ There ’ s a lot of telemedicine , particularly in developing countries where you ’ ve got problems with access to doctors , GPs or specialists . There are circumstantial examples of straight telemedicine where the patient and a nurse in a village are talking to a doctor in a hospital in a city . So that , I would say , is becoming mainstream .
“ When it ’ s focused on specific conditions and you can roll it out for a particular group of people
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