Information technology in action: the example of Norway.

In Europe, Norway has played since the 1990 a pioneering role in applying telemedicine in healthcare services. 4.5 millions occupy a country nearly as large as the former West Germany with a coast line as long as the equator and stretching 2500 km from the south to the north. The most northern counties are very sparsely populated. Therefore the government decided to build a national research centre for telemedicine at the regional hospital of Tromsø north of the polar circle with the aim of exploring the new telemedicine techniques in the different branches of medicine. Later political support was based on the wish to increase quality and safety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and of saving costs.