Can you imagine the ATA meeting’s 100th anniversary? Will there still be an ATA? Will we still be making the distinction between “traditional medicine” and “telemedicine”? One would certainly hope not and we can only speculate on what healthcare will even be like in 2093 (ATA was formed in 1993). But if there was an ATA 2093 what would it look like? Impossible to tell of course but maybe another 100th anniversary meeting has parallels to share.
Tweeter, Twitter, Blog, Bling, LinkedIn, Linkin Park, Facebook, Facetime. Are you part of the social media generation? Do you know the difference between a tweet and a twerk or are you still trying to figure out how chillax made it into Meriam and Webster? Social media options abound but offer to some a rather confusing array of choices. Which one do I join to find my telemedicine colleagues? Where can I get in on the best "conversations" (yes in quotes!) about what’s hot in mHealth? How on earth do social media intersect with telemedicine and is it really something that could benefit me and my program?
In Early September we had the pleasure and honor of conducting a telemedicine training event as a pre-session course before the Congreso de Telesalud Región de las Américas 2014 that was held in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Dr. Pedro Ramos extended the invitation to us and he and his associates welcomed us with open arms and made our visit quite enjoyable. Four representatives of the Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP) and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center (SWTRC) traveled to Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico to train a group of healthcare providers, share information and ideas, and learn about telemedicine programs in our neighboring country.
Are you thinking about getting into telemedicine, can’t find anyone to provide services or don’t know who to choose from once you do find some potential providers? This is not uncommon and can often be quite paralyzing in terms of jumpstarting your efforts. As telemedicine has grown exponentially over the past few years, so has the number of commercial companies providing services.
It’s often enough just to keep up with what’s happening in your own local area in telemedicine, let alone keeping up with the world! However sometimes it’s easier than others, especially if your husband is French, reads Le Figaro regularly, and then sends you articles to read (although I must admit Google translate often helps with this last step!).