The ups and downs of the International Society for Telemedicine.

The International Society for Telemedicine (ISfT) was originally established in 1997 as an organization of individuals. It suffered from years of difficulty in finding any consensus and, despite the efforts of about a dozen individual members, the Society did not flourish. In 2002 it was decided that the ISfT in its then form was no longer effective and unable to achieve its original goals, and it therefore needed to be reformed. The refounding of the Society was carried out in 2003. One of the essential changes was the transformation of the ISfT from an organization of individuals into an umbrella association for national telemedicine and e-health organizations. The Society's Website now includes a regularly updated newsletter and a great deal of information about common efforts to prepare the ground for e-health and telemedicine. The new ISfT has more than 500 members from 18 countries and is receiving membership applications from all over the world. The ISfT appears to be moving in the right direction, to serve as an international association for national telemedicine and e-health organizations, with a politically neutral and democratic attitude.