Telemedicine means giving medical care at a distance, using the phone or the internet instead of having the patient in the room. The most familiar kind is a video appointment with a doctor: you sit at home, the doctor looks at you on screen, asks questions, and sends a prescription to your pharmacy.

Telemedicine means Telemedicine指的是 giving medical care at a distance在遠端提供醫療照護 using the phone or the internet使用電話或網路 instead of having the patient in the room而不是讓病人親自到場 The most familiar kind最常見的形式 is a video appointment with a doctor是跟醫生的視訊看診 you sit at home你人在家裡 the doctor looks at you on screen醫生透過螢幕看著你 asks questions問問題 and sends a prescription to your pharmacy並把處方箋送到你的藥局

But it is wider than that. A nurse phoning to check on a patient after surgery is telemedicine. So is a small-town hospital sending X-rays to a specialist in a big city for an opinion. So is a heart monitor that quietly sends readings to a clinic all day.

But it is wider than that不過它的範圍比這個更廣 A nurse phoning to check on a patient護理師打電話追蹤病人 after surgery術後的狀況 is telemedicine也算是telemedicine So is a small-town hospital sending X-rays小鎮醫院把X光片送給 to a specialist in a big city大城市的專科醫師 for an opinion請他看意見也是 So is a heart monitor心臟監測器也是 that quietly sends readings它默默地把數據傳送 to a clinic all day一整天傳給診所

Why it matters: it reaches people who cannot easily reach a doctor — people on islands and in mountains, people who cannot walk well, people who cannot leave work. During Covid it stopped being a special thing and became normal almost everywhere, in a few months.

Why it matters它重要的原因是 it reaches people它能接觸到 who cannot easily reach a doctor不容易看到醫生的人 people on islands and in mountains住在離島和山區的人 people who cannot walk well行動不便的人 people who cannot leave work無法請假離開工作的人 During Covid在新冠疫情期間 in a few months短短幾個月內 it stopped being a special thing它不再是個特別的東西 and became normal almost everywhere而是在幾乎每個地方都變得很平常

It has clear limits, and doctors say so openly. A doctor cannot press your stomach, look properly in your throat, or take your blood through a screen. So telemedicine handles talking, checking, following up, and mental health care well, and physical examination badly.

It has clear limits它有明顯的極限 and doctors say so openly醫生自己也公開這樣說 A doctor cannot press your stomach醫生沒辦法按壓你的肚子 look properly in your throat或好好檢查你的喉嚨 or take your blood或抽你的血 through a screen透過螢幕 So telemedicine handles所以telemedicine很擅長處理 talking, checking, following up, and mental health care well對話檢查追蹤和心理健康照護 and physical examination badly但不擅長身體理學檢查

About the word: it is formal, and belongs to hospitals, insurance companies, and government policy. Ordinary people usually say 'an online appointment', 'a video visit', or 'I saw my doctor on Zoom'.

About the word關於這個詞 it is formal它很正式 and belongs to屬於 hospitals醫院 insurance companies保險公司 and government policy和政府政策用語 Ordinary people usually say一般人通常會說 'an online appointment' 'an online appointment' 'a video visit''a video visit' or 'I saw my doctor on Zoom'或「我用Zoom看醫生」

You will also meet 'telehealth', which is the wider word — it covers nurses, therapists, health education, and administration, not only doctors treating patients. Many people now use the two words as if they were the same.

You will also meet你也會遇到 'telehealth' 'telehealth' which is the wider word這是範圍更廣的詞 it covers它涵蓋 nurses護理師 therapists治療師 health education健康教育 and administration和行政作業 not only doctors treating patients不只是醫生看診病人 Many people now use很多人現在使用 the two words as if they were the same這兩個詞時好像它們是同一個意思