Data protection in telemedicine

Rīga Stradiņš University, Latvia

Abstract

Telemedicine – is the use of information and communication technologies in the situation when health care professional and the patient are not in the same location. That means that health care services are provided from the distance. The telemedicine services include transmission of information about patients’ health through text, sound, images and other data forms for the prevention, diagnosis treatment and follow-up of the patient. The use of telemedicine services contributes to health improvement and its application should be considered favourably. However, it is necessary to be aware that the use of different telemedicine solutions includes processing of patient’s data. Thus, this issue should be considered from the perspective of data protection. Despite the fact that the use of telemedicine services will positively makes changes in relationship between health care professional and patient that should not negatively affect persons’ rights to data protection. The person who receives health care services is entitled to expect that health care service will be provided with the respect to human rights.