Can telehealth technology be used for the education of health professionals?

The purpose of this report is to describe the usefulness and desirability of using telehealth technology in the education of health care professionals. The PC-compatible, Windows-based system allowed for both real-time videoconferencing and store-and-forward (sending information from one site and stored at a distant site for access at a later time) functions. Student responses indicated that they thought they would benefit from this type of technology in their clinical education. They were most positive with respect to increasing access to a wider range of clients they may not otherwise access and least positive for the ability to learn from a televideo interaction when compared with a clinic experience. Similarly, faculty were least interested in using videoconferencing for patient rounds and more interested in using telehealth to enhance classroom presentations.