Prime Medic's Blog
Online Doctor Services: Where Did It All Start?
In 2021, it is easy to take just how far we have come in terms of technology for granted. Whether you live in a rural area or in a city, you can have a video consultation with an online doctor on your mobile phone at any time during the day or night. Telehealth services such as Prime Medic have been providing Australians with access to professional healthcare for many years now - but where did it all start?
The very beginning
The history of telehealth services begins in 1876 with the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. Over the next 145 years, this incredible device would go on to shape how the entire world not only communicates with one another but receives professional healthcare and medical advice.
However, it was during the early 1900s where the way the world communicated would be revolutionised by radio. For example, clinics on ships received medical advice over the radio as early as the 1920s. Online video consultations were even imagined during this time. In 1924, the Radio News magazine published a headline called “The Radio Doctor - Maybe!” with an illustration of children attending a consultation with a doctor via a video call.
Small steps towards telemedicine
Around 1948, the first signs of teleradiology emerged when Austin Cooley and Joseph Gershon-Cohen transmitted radiographs via telephone lines using the earliest version of the fax machine. However, it wouldn’t be until 1959 when the first use of video communication for medical purposes was demonstrated.
The University of Nebraska had established a two-way television setup designed to transmit important information to all the medical students throughout the campus. Five years later the University would link their setup to a state hospital and provide video consultations.
Telemedicine starts gaining traction
Between the 1960s and 1970s, NASA, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, the Public Health Department and the Department of Defense would all dedicate their time and money into researching and advancing telemedicine. The project that saw the biggest amount of success was known as STARPAHC (Space Technology Applied to Rural Papago Advanced Health Care).
The project provided access to medical care to both the astronauts in orbit and Native Americans living on the Arizona Papago Reservation. This was achieved by transmitting medical information such as electrocardiographs and X-ray photographs using microwave technology to and from the Public Health Service hospital.
Today and the future
Since then, telemedicine services have spread across the world with the assistance of modern technology such as smartphones with HD cameras and the internet. Australians living in remote areas can have access to expert medical care just as easy as someone living in a major city. As telemedicine services such as Prime Medic continue to grow, the future of online doctor services in Australia looks bright.
Whether you require a medical certificate, a general check-up, a specialist referral, an online prescription or more, download the Prime Medic app and have a video consultation with a doctor today.
