20 July 2000

Veterinary Telemedicine Launched in the UK

The first veterinary telemedicine system has been launched in the UK. Veterinary telemedicine provides the ability to transmit diagnostic images such as radiographs, ultrasound, cytology, endoscopy, photographs, and case information, over ordinary phone lines to veterinary specialists. The specialists consult regarding case management with the general practitioners who transmit the cases. The system was first installed by Scarsdale Veterinary Hospital in Derby which won a special draw held by Provet Limited to launch telemedicine in the UK at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress held in Birmingham in April. According to John Turkington of the Scarsdale practice "This system opens up very exciting opportunities for us because it allows information sharing and access to specialist advice not previously available. Owners can not always afford to travel to see a specialist in the UK, but now we can get expert opinion on-line. In addition, we provide referral services for other practices in the UK and now they can send us clinical details of their patients electronically for our opinion" Mike Davies, Managing Director of Provet, who won the rights to distribute RemoteVet's telemedicine system in the UK and Europe said: "Telemedicine is going to revolutionise the way that veterinarians communicate about cases, and later (using BT's fast communication ISDN or ADSL technology) we plan to use the same system to conduct real-time training in the workplace for techniques such as ultrasound." The company aims to connect over 1000 veterinary practices into the network over the next 3 years. According to Remotevet: "Veterinary telemedicine precludes referral of the patient, allowing the general practitioner to retain case management, revenues and profits in-house. It adds prestige to the practice and elevates the quality of medicine provided to pet owners." The RemoteVet network of specialists is the largest veterinary telemedicine network in the world and currently turns around referred cases in an average of less than 4 hours. For further information contact : Provet Remotevet