This article aims to enlighten the reader about telemedicine. Any new development in the technology sector is bound to have consequences, both positive and negative. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayWhat is telemedicine? It is the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients using telecommunications technology. In addition to connecting patients and healthcare providers, telemedicine also gives healthcare providers the ability to consult with other doctors or specialists in diagnosing or treating a patient without having to leave their facilities. Telemedicine has been around for decades in one form or another. But with the giant technological leaps the world has experienced over the past two decades, it is only now that telemedicine is truly starting to take its place in the field of healthcare delivery. Telemedicine is the use of telecommunications technology such as telephones and computers to provide clinical services to patients via long-distance communications. Through phone calls, emails, mobile apps and even video chats, healthcare providers are able to diagnose and treat patients without the need for extensive travel or in-person hospital visits. In its early days, telemedicine was used primarily to connect doctors working with a patient in one location to specialists elsewhere. This has been of great benefit to rural or hard-to-reach populations where specialists are not readily available. Over the next few decades, the equipment needed to conduct remote visits remained expensive and complex, so the use of this approach, although growing, was limited. The advent of the Internet age brought with it profound changes in the practice of telemedicine. The proliferation of smart devices, capable of transmitting high-quality video, has opened up the possibility of providing remote healthcare to patients in their homes, workplaces, or assisted living facilities as an alternative to in-person visits for both primary and specialist. The field of telemedicine is changing faster than ever. As technology advances at exponential levels, so does the widespread convenience and accessibility of basic telemedicine tools. For example, not only do we now have the technology for live video telemedicine, but much of the US population is experienced in using online video chat apps (such as Skype or FaceTime) and having access to a computer or mobile device to use them . Telemedicine was originally created as a way to treat patients who were in remote locations, far from local healthcare facilities or in areas with a shortage of medical professionals. While telemedicine is still used today to address these issues, it is increasingly becoming a tool for convenient medical care. Today's connected patient wants to waste less time in the doctor's waiting room and receive immediate care for minor but urgent conditions when they need it. This expectation of more convenient care, combined with the unavailability of many overworked medical professionals (especially primary care providers), has led to the growth of telemedicine companies. Many offer patients 24/7 access to medical care with an on-call doctor affiliated with that company. Others offer larger hospitals and health centers access to additional clinical staff and specialists, for outsourcing special cases (a common model among teleradiology companies). Still others provide a telemedicine platform that doctors can!