Store-and-forward or asynchronous telemedicine is a delivery model that consists of a patient’s clinical information such as medical images or bio-signals being collected and sent electronically to a specialist for evaluation. The documented information that is stored and forwarded might include laboratory reports, medical history, test results, videos, images, sound files, etc. Since this methodology does not rely on in-person communications, it’s not suited for all fields of care. However, it is commonly practiced in the fields of radiology, dermatology, and pathology among others. For example-
– A primary physician can review stored patient data, make a diagnosis, and then implement a treatment plan.
– In Endocrinology, a lot of the treatment is based on the clinical data collected from Remote Patient Monitoring. So, telemedicine endocrinologists often rely on store-and-forward technology for constantly monitoring and modifying treatment plans (adjustments to medication, hormones, etc.) based on the data that is collected from patients.
