NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, England, March 3 (UPI) -- Despite high expectations, electronic doctoring through telemedicine and telehealthcare systems is having limited impact in Britain, researchers say.
A study sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council says the expected revolution in medicine, overcoming problems of access to specialist care and speeding up referrals and diagnosis has simply not happened.
Under the plan, doctors and patients, usually miles apart, interact through video, digital imaging and electronic data transmission.
Researchers led by Professor Carl May of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, say "telemedicine" is disappearing, in stark contrast to the apparent success of telephone services on which clinical staff decide the urgency of patients' injuries or illnesses and advice lines such as National Health Service Direct.
Resistance from professionals is often blamed, but the real reason is often a failure to think through the organizational problems involved in integrating new technology into everyday NHS activity, the study says.
