摘要
遠距醫療是利用遠距離的醫療資訊傳輸，來促進病患健康的一種醫療模式。遠距醫療依照不同的角度，可以做許多不同方式的分類。遠距醫療在近10年來慢慢的開始進展到實際的臨床應用，但就大眾接受的程度來說，2019新冠病毒大流行無疑對遠距醫療的發展扮演催化的角色。遠距醫療的發展初期受到法規限制，在2019年的疫情之後，這些限制也逐步放寬。另外，遠距醫療本身也有本身的限制，包括不能實際進行身體檢查、受到網路傳輸與費用等限制。遠距醫療的應用範圍很廣，本文提供幾個可能的使用情境，包括用於偏鄉照護、疾病的整合照護與疫情時減少不必要的接觸等。遠距醫療仍處在新興時期，還有許多成長的空間。未來的發展方向可以結合穿戴式裝置與感測器、更快速的5G傳輸及與醫療系統的整合等。期待不久的將來遠距醫療能提供病患更便捷有效的就醫方式。
並列摘要
Telemedicine is the application of telecommunication technologies to health care. It has been increasingly used in recent decades in clinical applications to improve patient health. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the acceptance of telemedicine as a regular form of health care have considerably increased. The development of telemedicine has been restricted by various formal regulations, which have been gradually relieved since the start of the pandemic. However, telemedicine also has limitations, including the impossibility of physical examinations, a dependence on Internet access, and additional costs. This review discusses some clinical applications of telemedicine, including rural health care, integrated care for chronic diseases, and health care during pandemics. Telemedicine is still in its infancy and has great potential for growth. Future applications of telemedicine intended to provide rapid and reliable health care include the design of wearable sensors, adoption of 5G communications technology, and integration into health information systems.