Technology has changed the way people access medical services. Innovations such as Telemedicine have enabled people to access care irrespective of their distance from a doctor or healthcare facility ( Tracy et al., 2012) . In this context, the innovation can be used to bridge the healthcare gap experienced by low income and underserved communities. Such communities may lack access to medical experts, affecting their overall health outcomes. However, Telemedicine programs give people real time access to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on demand, irrespective of their proximity from their patients.
One program which can be used lower healthcare costs and improve the healthcare outcomes for patients is video conferencing. The program involves the use of video and audio communications to bring together people from different locations for clinical consultations ( Tuerk & Shore, 2015) . The benefit of this approach is that patients can access medical consolations in terms of diagnosis and treatment from experts, in cases where required experts are not located on site. Some of the video conferencing services which are available for patients include Tele-ED, Tele-Education, e-Intensive care unit and others.
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The second program type is the store-and-forward approach. It involves sending information to an intermediate center ( Tuerk & Shore, 2015) . The information is then transmitted to its final destination later on. Emails can be used in this type of approach, where a patient can send information about his or her condition, and the same information is forwarded to medical experts at the appropriate time. However, the program is slower than video conferencing. However, it is cost effective since emails are an inexpensive method of communication, and the experts are accessed at their convenience, enabling them to work efficiently.
One potential barrier for the technology is that the underserved communities might lack the technology needed to make Telemedicine successful. Computers, phones, and the internet are some of the requirements needed to make the programs successful ( Tracy et al., 2012) . Another barrier is that the target population might lack the skills or knowledge required to use Telemedicine programs. These barriers have to be addressed, it the program is to succeed.
References
Tracy, A. L. R., Services, B. H. C., & Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2012). Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment: Workshop Summary .
Tuerk, P. W., & Shore, P. (2015). Clinical videoconferencing in telehealth: Program development and practice .
