A Web-based correctional telemedicine system with distributed expertise

Due to increasingly tougher and mandatory sentencing laws, the U.S. has experienced a sharp increase in the prison population during the last decade. Correctional facilities face unique challenges in providing health care to a population that has a history of physical, mental and psychological abuse. Telemedicine is an innovative way to bring health care to prisons in a safe and cost-effective manner. The steady proliferation of the Internet, its versatility and low cost are ushering in new possibilities for providing telemedicine through such a cyberspace medium. This paper discusses the workflows involved in correctional health care environments and develops an object-oriented architecture for a Web-centric telemedicine system. The prototype uses relational tables to represent expert knowledge and ActiveX programming for initiating and coordinating the consultation sessions over the Internet. The prototype has the ability to deal with single physician consultations as well as with distributed multiple experts in more complex diagnostic sessions.