Internet in medical activity

The paper presents ample opportunities to use the Internet to effectively support medical activities. The presented considerations include prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment, monitoring the patient during convalescence, medical education and hospital administration elements. The major importance of multimedia software, virtual reality and artificial intelligence algorithms for the effective operation of the telemedicine systems have been accentuated. In the paper the main tasks of telemedical systems connected with the following domains have been presented: 1) prophylaxis – indication of the risks of improper lifestyle and environmental degradation coupled with recommendations on the ways and means of diseases prevention and methods for self-control of health; 2) diagnostics – offering multimedia algorithms of diagnostics procedures; 3) therapy – providing multimedia algorithms of therapeutic procedures and of multimedia information on medicine administration; 4) care during convalescence – constant remote monitoring of the patient’s condition and assurance of quick contact with doctor; 5) medical education – offering attractive presentation of medical knowledge in the diagram form of diagnostic ortherapeutic algorithms and providing simulators creating correct habits in medical procedures; 6) hospital administration – providing comprehensive information about a hospital or clinic functioning for a potential patient and exchange of information concerning patients between hospitals. The paper presents conclusions about conditions of greatest usefulness of telemedicine systems