Mobile Computing at the Department of Defense

This chapter is designed to relate the rationale used by the Department of Defense, to utilize Telemedicine, to meet increasing global crises, and for the U.S. military to find ways to more effectively manage manpower and time. A mobile Telemedicine package has been developed by the Department of Defense (DOD) to collect and transmit near-real-time, far-forward medical data and to assess how this improved capability enhances medical management of the battlespace. Telemedicine has been successful in resolving uncertain organizational and technological military deficiencies and in improving medical communications and information management. The deployable, mobile Teams are the centerpieces of this Telemedicine package. These teams have the capability of inserting essential networking and communications capabilities into austere theaters and establishing an immediate means for enhancing health protection, collaborative planning, situational awareness, and strategic decision-making.