Tele-ICU - a Canadian review.

Based on the learnings and experiences from implementations in the United States, telemedicine may offer certain advantages to help address some of the challenges faced by the Canadian critical care community resulting from staff shortages and increasing demands for quality care. The initial and operating costs of the technology and its impact on direct bedside care are perceived to be significant drivers of resistance to its wide spread implementation. This qualitative review of the available literature summarizes the opportunities and challenges with the potential use of telemedicine to enhance the delivery of critical care services in Canada.