title: Telemedicine Networks of EHAS Foundation in Latin America.
abstract: Rural areas in developing countries are characterized by lack of resources, low population density, and scarcity of communications infrastructure. These circumstances make it difficult to provide appropriate health-care services. This paper explains research results achieved by Enlace Hispano Americano de Salud - Hispano American Health Link (EHAS) and how they have contributed to improve healthcare in isolated areas of developing countries through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). As the first step, EHAS always collaborates with public health systems to identify its communication and information needs. Based on the analysis of needs, EHAS does research on appropriate technologies to provide communication in each context and on information systems suited to needs of health personnel. In parallel, EHAS has worked to provide applications that, making use of the communications services installed, could improve the health-care services in these remote areas. In this line, solutions to improve epidemiological surveillance or to provide telemedicine services (like a digital stethoscope or a tele-microscopy system) have been developed. EHAS has also performed several researches trying to ensure the sustainability of their solutions and has summarized them in a Management Framework for Sustainable e-Healthcare Provision. Finally, the effort to spread acquired knowledge has crystallized in a book that details all the technologies and procedures previously mentioned.
authors.affiliation: ICT Department, Rey Juan Carlos University , Fuenlabrada , Spain.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Prieto-Egido
authors.affiliation: ICT Department, Rey Juan Carlos University , Fuenlabrada , Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simó-Reigadas
authors.affiliation: Rural Telecommunications Groups, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru , Lima , Peru.
authors.forename: Leopoldo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liñán-Benítez
authors.affiliation: EHAS Foundation , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: García-Giganto
authors.affiliation: ICT Department, Rey Juan Carlos University , Fuenlabrada , Spain.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Fernández
keywords: e-health; ict4d; rural areas; tele-stethoscopy; telemedicine; telemicroscopy