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The Deakin University Faculty of Nursing conducts a Bachelor of Nursing degree which is available via the distance education mode. The faculty has as its central focus the value of nursing practice and espouses a belief in students' active learning. This paper examines the use of teletutorials as a process for realising the philosophy of the faculty in relation to students' learning outcomes. Although expensive in terms of financial and human resources, teletutorials bridged the gap between the faculty's philosophical statements and students' perceptions and needs.

We believe that network national and international teleconferencing is viable and that the problems remaining have mostly to do with overcoming reluctance to change, reorganizing one's thinking, and making the equipment easier to use--essentially minimizing behavioral and operational constraints. Those of us who use audiographic teleconferencing are enthusiastic. In an era of increasingly rapid change and energy consciousness, teleconferencing should be considered. Finally, we experienced how national and international teleconferencing can meet various medical requirements, while at the same time achieving decentralization of human resources. We also considered the impact of teleconferencing on the daily business of people, as well as the social, medical, and economic activity relative to teleconferencing systems on a large scale. If the mastery of information technology is a challenge of the Eighties, then it appears that national and international teleconferencing as an integral feature of any professional environment--medicine, dentistry, engineering, education, and so on could be very supportive in cultivating a national and international exchange of ideas. The end result of teleconferencing is the benefit realized from improved group communication and the efficient use of time, both professional and personal.

The Telecommunications Information Network (TIN) was an applied research project that evaluated the ability of slow-scan television to provide medical information on demand to health-care professionals at hospitals far from any urban area. This paper reviews the TIN project, describes its use, and discusses system advantages and disadvantages. System evaluation encompasses (1) project benefits; (2) technical barriers to implementation and utilization; (3) the replication of services and the technology utilized; and (4) cost factors.

The concept of one total telecommunications system to serve an entire hospital is not practical. Hospitals should plan toward the establishment of an integrated telecommunications plan and network that would incorporate four or more major telecommunications support systems.

FCC, pursuant to the Fourth Supplemental Notice of Inquiry and Proposed Rulemaking published on June 21, 1982, at 47 FR 26668, adopts rules for the computation and assessment of end user and carrier's carrier access charges and the creation of an exchange carrier association to prepare access charge tariffs and distribute pooled access charge revenues. The Commission concluded that this action was necessary because existing methods of access compensation produced unlawful discrimination and preferences in interstate rates. These rules were designed to eliminate such unlawful discrimination and preferences.

The deregulation of the telecommunications industry has made it more difficult for hospitals and physicians to manage their telecommunications expenditures. By concentrating on this disruption, many hospitals and physicians may miss out on the new opportunities made available by deregulation. By selling telecommunications services to physicians, hospital administrators can take advantage of many of these new opportunities. The key to this venture is viewing telecommunications as a revenue producing department or a captive business rather than an overhead expense.

We introduced telemedicine, i.e., telecommunications for delivery of health services, to alleviate scarcity and maldistribution of critical care services. For 18 months, we used interactive television to provide consultation with university-based critical care physicians for patients in the ICU of a 100-bed hospital. Telemedicine "visits" (1548) were made to 395 patients. Television consultation had greater clinical and educational impact than consultation using the telephone. Equipment was expensive but proved to be reliable and easy to use. Interactive television extended the availability of specialist expertise, but full exploitation of this technology for delivery of critical care services was not achieved. Extensive background research, currently underway at the University of Pittsburgh, is necessary before the next telemedicine demonstration.

Development and amplification of a Quantimet 720 image analyser are reported in combination with a microprocessing unit. The system controlling the measuring procedure with telecommunication for evaluation in a large computer is presented in detail. The new cost-saving units supplementing the analyser render possible: i) reduction of measuring times, ii) reduction of possible errors of measurement, and iii) optimal rational evaluation of data in a large computer system.