title: Medical liability, safety and confidentiality in maritime telemedicine--the MERMAID position on issues of importance.
abstract: Telemedicine dates to the days of "wireless telegraphy". As an "extraordinary" arrangement for medical services delivered at time of need, telemedicine has thus far escaped the developments that have taken place over the last 50 years in the areas of medical liability, safety and confidentiality. Today, however, telemedicine is also used to increase quality and cost effectiveness of healthcare provision. This trend is set by the U.S. where the U.S. federal government funds telemedicine at an annual rate of more than $100 million i.e., at a rate 30 times or more than what the EU does while state and local agency support and private business investment in telemedicine is 3 to 4 times larger than that of the U.S. federal government. In this respect it must be stressed that technology tends to satisfy the relevant demand for telecommunications. Telemedicine is used in diverse areas such as pathology, surgery, physical therapy, and psychiatry. It is expected to revolutionise health care in the coming decade and, therefore, it will certainly take into account requirements for medical liability, safety and confidentiality in the same way as traditional "establishment" medicine does.
authors.affiliation: Law School, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ladas
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giatagatzidis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anogianakis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maglavera
mesh_terms: D003219:Confidentiality; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D005062:European Union; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008007:Licensure, Medical; D009326:Naval Medicine / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*