Telehealth Glossary

The convergence of digital technologies with health, healthcare, living and society to enhance the efficiency of healthcare delivery and make medicine more personalized and precise. The broad scope of digital health includes categories such as mobile health (mHealth), health information technology (IT), wearable devices, telehealth/telemedicine and personalized medicine.

This encompasses activities and technologies including electronic health records (EHR/EMR), telehealth and telemedicine, health IT systems, big data systems used in digital health, consumer health data systems as well as mobile healthcare and other consumer-facing health tracking.

Also known as a tele-ICU, eICU is a form of telehealth that uses state-of-the-art technology to provide an additional layer of critical care service. An eICU can provide care to patients in multiple hospitals and includes a component of electronic monitoring. eICUs optimize critical care through making critical care experts available via video, while augmenting the care of on-site staff through remote patient monitoring of life support systems.

An interaction between a patient and a care provider during which the patient's condition and treatment are discussed.

Healthcare and public health information provided through mobile devices. The information may include general educational information, targeted texts and notifications about disease outbreaks.

The use of connected electronic tools to record personal health and medical data in one location for review by a provider in another location, usually at a different time.

A term for the growing number of programs provided in school settings to allow telehealth visits between a school nurse/student and a medical provider. Sometimes school-based telehealth may also be called school-based virtual health.ed telehealth may also be called school-based virtual health.

The transmission of a recorded health history to a health practitioner, usually a specialist.

This refers to a broad collection of electronic and telecommunications technologies that support healthcare delivery and services from distant locations. Telehealth technologies support virtual medical, health and education services. It can refer to public health and health promotion functions, continuing medical education and remote non-clinical services, such as provider training.

Along with the term telemedicine visit, these are common terms used to convey the ability to schedule an appointment using video chat services.