Wireless telemedicine: the next step?

Mobile phones are designed and used for speech communications in digital format but with some modifications or additions they may also be used for sending digital data representing medical signals, for example the electrocardiogram (ECG). While there have been a number of wireless telemedicine studies recently, mainly focused on advances in technology, medical applications have not been widely adopted and the next step is far from clear. The subject could be said to be at a cross-roads and the needs of patients, together with advice from clinicians, must be considered carefully to take the right road ahead.