Meeting the need for educational standards in the practice of telemedicine and telehealth

The first telemedicine standard to be developed, documented and adopted widely was the radiology standard, which includes technical and image transmission standards as well as requirements and qualifications needed for teleradiology practice. But many other health professionals engaged either full time or part time in telemedicine and telehealth—for example, telepsychiatry, telepathology, teletriage and tele-ophthalmology — also need and use special skills and knowledge. At present, they acquire these skills on the job and their skills may not be recognized. There should be performance standards and telepractice guidelines for professionals operating in the fields of telemedicine and telehealth. Furthermore, there is a case for the development and implementation of education and training standards, enabling professionals who practise in the field to obtain suitable skills, knowledge and recognition for telepractice.