Telemedicine working in Europe

BARBASTRO, Spain, June 1 (UPI) -- Doctors in Spain, Italy and Denmark have begun using a telecounseling service to help treat elderly patients who have difficulty traveling.

Using a telelaboratory service that allows patient test samples to be analyzed remotely, the Internet-based HEALTH OPTIMUM solutions are saving doctors time, public healthcare systems are saving money and patients are receiving better coordinated and better quality care, according to Dr. Javier Marco, who checks on his patients using a computer with a videoconferencing link.

"At first, patients were surprised when they went to their local doctor's office and I was able to talk to them and see them over a computer, but surprise turned to satisfaction when they realized they wouldn't have to come to the hospital," said Marco. "Barbastro -- where Marco has his practice works -- is the only hospital for a widely distributed population and the winters are hard and the roads can be bad."

Remote analysis equipment allows primary healthcare professionals to take samples of a patient's blood or urine and analyze the samples on the spot.