Telepresence in Healthcare: Engineering Remote Consultations                       

Nyiramana Mukamurera P.

Faculty of Medicine Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, highlighting both its transformative potential and the limitations of existing technologies. This paper examines the engineering of telepresence systems in healthcare, an advanced form of teleconsultation designed to emulate in-person consultations through immersive, interactive, and high-resolution communication platforms. It provides a historical context for telemedicine, detailing its evolution from simple telephone consultations to sophisticated systems incorporating augmented and virtual reality. The technological foundations of telepresence are analyzed, including hardware and software components, network infrastructures, and integration protocols. Clinical applications such as telecardiology and telepsychiatry are reviewed, alongside emerging use cases involving mobile robots and 3D visualization tools. Despite their potential, these systems face considerable challenges, including cost, usability, ethical concerns, and disparities in digital literacy and access. Case studies demonstrate how engineered telepresence solutions can address rural and underserved populations. The paper concludes by identifying future trends and recommending strategies to develop equitable, efficient, and ethically sound telepresence systems that bridge the gap between patients and providers across distances.

Keywords: Telepresence, Remote consultations, Telehealth engineering, Telemedicine technologies, Telepresence robots, Virtual healthcare, Healthcare accessibility.

CITE AS: Nyiramana Mukamurera P. (2025). Telepresence in Healthcare: Engineering Remote Consultations. IDOSR JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ALLIED FIELDS 10(1):21-27. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSR/JBBAF/2025/1012127