Reza Safdari, Nilufar Masuri, Kambiz Bahaodini, Mahdiye Khorasanizadeh,
Volume 6, Issue 3 (9-2012)
Background and Aim: With the increasing spread of technology, the use of telemedicine to treat diseases is increasing. Diseases of the ear, throat and nose, are among the most common illnesses, especially among children, which can be diagnosed and treated through tele-otolaryngology.
Materials and Methods: This comparative study is conducted in the United Stated, Australia and England. The information needed for the present study was collected from print sources such as texts, journals, and articles found in such databases as Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of knowledge, Google Scholar, and Scopus. To this end, certain key words like Telemedicine, Telehealthotolaryngology, ENT, ear diseases, otology and Teleconsultation were used.
Results: The most common way to send information is through the standard otoscopy, video-otoscopy and videoconferencing equipment (Audio-Video Receiver). The information needed for Telehealthotolaryngology includes demographic information (patient's name, identification number, date of receiving services) together with the data related to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease (disease history, radiology and scan results, eardrum images, laboratory results and previous consultation results).
Conclusion: For telehealthotolaryngology, suitable equipment is required to transmit audio-visual data properly so that ENT specialists and audiologists can benefit from it in their examination and treatment. The application of this method can help patients to economize on their treatment expenses and to follow their treatment in a better way.