Telemedicine and Stroke Care Services: Experience from Italian Hospitals |Biomedgrid

According to the American Telemedicine Association, “Telemedicine” is the exchange of medical information from one site to another using electronic communication, such as telephone, internet, or videoconference. The application of telemedicine for care of acute strokes, called “Telestroke”, was a natural progression from general telemedicine, because of shortage of vascular neurologists and recent advances in technology. The use of telestroke across the United States and Canada occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but in Italy it comes later. It is one of the most frequently used and rapidly expanding applications of telemedicine, delivering much-needed stroke expertise to hospitals and patients.