The government and certain companies are taking a wider interest in telemedicine, which was first introduced in the 1970's. Telemedicine provides technology to remote populations which allows doctors to treat more patients than would be possible if rural areas depended upon personalized visits.It's not just in the United States that telemedicine is exploding: Companies in the Netherlands, France, and Italy are also taking off. Part of the reason for the increased excitement about telemedicine is the advancing age of the Baby Boomers. The world is bracing itself for one of the largest elderly populations it will have faced for generations.
Critics caution the telemedicine cannot substitute for the subtleties of face-to-face physician-patient interactions, but it looks like it is here to stay.
