Telemedicine, also known as telehealth, is one strategy that can be used when there are significant barriers between a doctor and a patient. It may be that a doctor is separated from the patient by many miles, causing the patient to be physically unable to make the journey to be diagnosed. In these instances, technology can be used to bridge the gap. Where possible, this manifests in imaging software, online conferences, and secure data storage to help a doctor and patient communicate and keep their confidentiality intact.
In the developing world where technology is more limited, technology that a smartphone user would consider outdated has recently come to the forefront, including feature phones that predate smartphones. These simpler, more compact and durable devices are valuable in a disaster response situation where simple but effective communication between frontline doctors is key. Where smartphones would be considered fragile in the context of a disaster site or warzone, a feature phone can be connected to a crowdsourced SMS network to facilitate the effective communication that medics and doctors need.