What does telemedicine mean?
Telemedicine is the provision of medical care through telecommunications technology instead of requiring every consultation or treatment to take place face to face. It encompasses services such as remote consultations, diagnosis, monitoring, treatment advice, and communication between clinicians and patients. Telephone, video, and internet-based systems can all support telemedicine, although the term does not require the use of a particular technology. In public health, telemedicine may help people in remote or underserved areas obtain specialist advice, reduce the need for travel, and support ongoing care for patients who cannot easily attend a clinic. It is also used in discussions of healthcare access, privacy, digital infrastructure, and the reliability of remote technology. Although closely related to telehealth, telemedicine more specifically concerns medical care and is therefore especially common in clinical, governmental, and insurance contexts.
nounThe delivery of medical care and consultation through telecommunications technology rather than in person. It may include remote diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and communication between healthcare professionals and patients.
- The delivery of medical care, consultation, diagnosis, monitoring, or treatment through telecommunications technology.
"The clinic offers telemedicine consultations for patients who live too far away for an easy office visit."
"After reviewing her test results, the doctor discussed treatment options with the patient by telemedicine."
"The hospital expanded its telemedicine program to provide specialist consultations in remote communities."
The noun is normally uncountable. Countable plural forms are uncommon.
"Telemedicine has become an important part of the healthcare system."
The word was already in use in 1928—decades before mobile phones and video calls made remote medical care commonplace.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does telemedicine come from?
The word is a compound of telephone and medicine. Its first element ultimately derives from Greek tēle, meaning “far” or “distant,” while medicine comes through Old French from Latin medicina and medicus, meaning “doctor” or “physician.” The compound was used in the early twentieth century, before modern electronic communication, for medical consultation and care delivered over long distances.
How telemedicine is actually used
Telemedicine is a formal and broadly institutional term, especially common in healthcare, public policy, and technology contexts. It is normally used as an uncountable noun, although countable uses occasionally occur when referring to individual services or programs.
Easily confused with telemedicine
Telemedicine refers specifically to the remote delivery of medical care, whereas telehealth is a broader term that can include nonmedical services delivered through telecommunications technology.