Present applications and future prospects

Information technology has enabled much of the business community to function in a time and place-independent manner. Health care has lagged in adopting this technology because of tradition, concern for patient security and confidentiality, liability, and licensure issues. This article reviews the current state of telemedicine technology, its applications, and opportunities for further development. Urology is identified as a specialty that stands to benefit from advances in technologies applicable to remote diagnosis, monitoring and care of patients, physician training, and record keeping.