Telemedicine Update

Telemedicine will allow physicians and laboratories to practice their profession across state lines without ever leaving the comfort of their offices. Telepathology is the practice of sending images of pathology specimens (pictures of tumors, tissue sections, and smears) to a distant location for professional review. Teleradiology performs the same function but uses a radiologic image instead.

However, telemedicine is not limited to the review of diagnostic information. For example, surgeons will soon be able to perform a surgical procedures using manipulators at their desks while patients are treated with surgical tools in the hands of robots linked via satellite.

Regulations are beginning to be developed to control interstate commerce in medical care by way of telecommunications. These regulations will also serve as the foundation for regulations governing international use of telemedicine.

Notables: Jon Linkous, representative of the American Telemedicine Association, tel. [phone], E-mail: [e-mail].

M. Roy Schwarz, M.D., Vice President of American Medical Association Telemedicine group.

Issues: liability, how physicians will be licensed when they consult or provide service in many states, how to provide for confidentiality, insurance reimbursement, and reliability.

VIIth Congress of the International Society of Animal Clinical Chemistry, Glasgow

The scientific program of this congress, to be held in June 1996, will be based around nine plenary sessions with daily sessions for the oral or poster presentation of delegate papers. This congress will be of interest to all those working in the areas of animal or comparative clinical chemistry. The topics and speakers will be as follows:

Clinical Endocrinology (J. Mol, NL; T. Reimers, USA)

Immunotoxicology (I. Kimber, UK; Van Loveren, NL)

Clinical Biochemistry of Nutrition (R. Butterwick, UK)

Metabolic Disturbance and the Diagnosis of Disease (T. Wensing, NL; J.P. Braun, F)

Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants (J. Lunec, UK; T. Gaal, Hungary; Dr M Christopher, USA)

In vitro Toxicology (J. Timbrell, UK; E. George, UK)

Advances in Animal Clinical Biochemistry (J. Kaneko, USA; M. Morimatsu, Japan)

Data Interpretation and Quality Assurance (C. Fraser, UK; A. Jensen, Denmark) Education in Clinical Pathology (M. McConnell, Australia; N. Horadagoda, Sri Lanka; R. Tyler, USA)

For an information pack and/or to notify your interest in presenting a paper or poster, please contact:

P.D. Eckersall, Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, University of Glasgow, E-mail: [e-mail], fax [phone].

Peter A. Graham, Lecturer in Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road Glasgow G61 1QH 84091, E-mail: [e-mail], tel. [phone], fax: [phone].