The most important concept to understand about telecardiology is the transmission of echocardiograms from the outreach site to the tertiary care site occurs in real time. It is mainly the practice of cardiology by using telemedicine technologies for providing outstanding cardiac care in a cost effective manner. Lakshadweep is a perfect example for the application of Telemedicine since it is a group of islands located about 440kms away from the mainland, with a total population of about 64,000.We were successful in conducting telecardiology programs involving transferring electrocardiographs apart from cardiac consultation from various centers at Lakshadweep like IGH Kavaratti, Agatti etc and also with very remote centres like SNM Ley Ladakh, Civil hospital Shillong etc

Teleradiology is a means of electronically transmitting radiographic patient images and consultative text from one location to another. In the past 3 yrs we have provided number of Tele-Radiology consultations to RK Mission hospital Ittanagar and our Lakshadweep centres.

Tele-Dermatology holds great potential for revolutionizing the delivery of dermatologic services. This provides a well-defined channel for interaction with expert's dermatology. In the past three years we have provided teledermatology consultations to SNM Leh Ladakh, Indiragandhi hospital Kavaratti, RK Mission Ittanagar etc

Within Tele-ophthalmology the patient care concern has focused mostly on the use of telemedicine for retinal evaluations, and more specifically for diabetic retinopathy. Several studies have evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of digital retinal imaging and its appropriateness for diagnosing and monitoring diabetic retinopathy.

If one pathologist were able to send the microscopic images they are viewing to another expert, in real time, the benefits for the patient and medicine may be immense. We have provided Tele-Pathology consultations to SNM Leh Ladakh, GBPH Portblair etc.We have also have clinical meetings with TVM Medical College, Calicut Medical college SRMC Chennai etc.

Telepsychiatry is the use of electronic communication and information technologies to provide or support clinical psychiatric care at a distance. Telepsychiatry can be used clinically for both assessment and treatment, is effective for case conferencing and consultation-liaison work, and can be incorporated into a range of service delivery models. Telepsychiatry can enable rural and remote communities to gain access to psychiatric services as well as provide support for health care professionals in rural and remote locations.

It is the remote monitoring of critically ill patient at remote locations and by optimally utilizing this technology for the care of patients at remote hospitals across the country. One of the successful implementation of telementoring happened on 13th January 2003 when Amrita Emergency Care Unit located at Pampa (Sabarimala) was able to save the life of a devotee with the help of a telesurgical procedure performed using telemedicine facility. The Cardio-Vascular thoracic Surgeon guided the procedure remotely and the doctor at the emergency unit at Pampa performed the procedure successfully and the life of the patient was saved.

The Amrita Mobile Telemedicine Unit (AMTU) is the first mobile telemedicine unit in the state of Kerala. The centrally air-conditioned AMTU has state of the art satellite-based videoconferencing capability and is equipped with a wide range of equipment permitting a large range of functions including color echocardiography, cardiac treadmill, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, retinal camera, ultrasonography, X-ray radiography, electrocardiography, biochemical testing with a semi auto analyzer, light microscopy and a digital photography. The output from these devices can all be transmitted to a specialty hospital (typically AIMS) for expert opinion. The AMTU is equipped with a state of the art video conferencing unit connected to an extended C band 1.8m Antenna and control unit for uninterrupted telemedicine linkup in all weather conditions. It has the capability to connect to any health care center that has a telemedicine facility. It is also equipped with the Amrita Health Information System (AHIS) telemedicine suite for electronically storing and transmitting patient data including medical images. The AMTU allows a wide range of healthcare services to be delivered with minimal expertise and infrastructure at the peripheral end. It also ensures increased utilization of medical facilities, manpower and technology while minimizing maintenance costs since the need for fixed infrastructure and equipment can be avoided. From the patients perspective they benefit from easier access to advanced healthcare and specialty consultation, saving time and travel expenses. AMTU fulfilled its promises when it was successfully assisted in delivering health care at the Amrita medical center in Pampa at Sabarimala. Approximately 40 teleconsultations were carried out from the mountain top to AIMS using mobile telemedicine facility.

AIMS is honored to be one of the very few academic superspeciality centers to be a part of the Pan-African Telemedicine project, slated to provide telehealth services to over 53 African medical centers , funded by the Ministry of External Affairs.