<p>My two cents...I say colonoscopies and upper endoscopies b/c I've been doing the ****ing things every other day for the past week and a half...sereiously I've done in that time probably 16 or 17, and most have been with my preceptor out talking to other patients or dictating progress notes. Upper scopes are even easier than colonoscopies. I'm not saying I'm an expert but they really aren't that hard (playing a lot of video games as kid helped I think.)</p>
<p>Yes, there are certain conditions, pathologies, and abnormal anatomies that cause problems, but the overall procedure is pretty straightforward. With appropriate support staff on site (which are usually in greater numbers than MDs...even in small communities) I really think that remote scoping by a good MD (my preceptor is a general surgeon in a small town) is completely plausible. The only situation in which telecolonoscopies would be problematic would be in extreme emergencies, where an MD's knowledge is vital. But that's probably inherent in all types of telemedicine.</p>