Telemedicine in the service of peace.
Ophthalmology is well suited to telemedicine, since optical and imaging devices provide the basis for virtually all ophthalmic patient evaluations. We established the Middle East Ophthalmology Network among ophthalmologists working in 10 major ophthalmology centres in Israel, Jordan, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority and Tunisia. The project offered some 50 physicians around the Middle East the opportunity to benefit from sharing clinical consultation for diagnosis and management decisions beyond physical and political boundaries. In the first year, over 100 consultations took place. The system overcame some of the constraints imposed by the uneven distribution of medical resources and expertise in the region, reduced professional isolation, encouraged more collaboration between physicians and offered peace dividends from cooperation between physicians across the political divide.
Shanit
Dan
D
Peres Center For Peace, Israel. shanit@peres-center.org
Striebel
Werner
W
Michelson
Georg
G
Ayed
Saida
S
Al Assi
Samer
S
Belfair
Nadav
N
Ben-Simon
Guy
G
Hamida
Fafani
F
Kanawati
Charlie
C
Lifshitz
Tova
T
Madia
Ghassan
G
Rafi
Mostafa
M
Tahat
Atef
A
Treister
Giora
G
Tucktuck
Khalid
K
Zaghloul
Khalid
K
D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D020407:Internet; D008877:Middle East; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000379:methods*; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods*