Medical Consultation and Telemedicine Using the Internet

Ou, Sang Woo

Abstract

The number of Internet users is rapidly increasing in Korea. Because of the busy modern life style, demands for the convenient medical services using the Internet are also increased. There are about 10,000 medical Internet sites in Korea. However, several surveys on the Internet medical information in Korea have shown disapointing results. As in other nations medical information is often inappropriate for the questions and some might be even harmful. Somewhat insufficient role of the Internet medical consultation do not satisfy the people' needs. There are eseveral movements for the improving medical Internet information system in Korea but are still at the beginning state. By using the Internet technology, telemedicne for the remote area, for the dementia patients, for the emergency care, and for the elderaly have been tried in Korea. But legal problems, insufficient evidence for its efficiency, and several other drawback make telemedicine be still remaining at the experimental state. However, increasing demands for the better medical services, developing inforamtion technology, expanding high-velocity network system, and fucure capacity mobile communication systems will obviate these problems in the near future.