[Telemedicine in Switzerland].

Telemedicine always was at the edge in adapting newest information and communication technologies. Since medicine occurred, telemedica/ activity was undertaken with the aim to overcome a distance. Telemedicine is defined as an interaction between one or several health professionals, within the context of a medical process, but at a distance, without direct physical contact. Classical fields of telemedicine or Teleradiology, Telepathology, are mainly related to medical specialties and hospital centres,in Switzerland as well. In parallel, Swiss Telemedicine did undertake a specific evolution, by developing sophisticated telemedical consultation centres focused on primary health and with highly trained multiprofessional staff They contribute to the development of decentralized and population based integrated health and care services. In turn, this enables development of new interprofessional health professionals' roles and activities. As progression of patient-citizens' mobility and spreading out of mobile devices take place simultaneously, this opens the opportunity to overcome structural change of the Swiss healthcare system by creating new and innovative healthcare services.