Telemedicine success in the United States Associated Pacific Islands (USAPI): two illustrative cases.

A simple technical solution to a difficult situation serves as a model for telemedicine in the developing world of the Pacific Rim. Reported here are two cases involving little girls who accidentally suffered broken legs and how they were helped. The first, a 6-year-old from Kolonia, Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia, fell out of a second story window and broke her left leg. The second, a 5-year-old girl from Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, was hit by an automobile and suffered a fracture of her left leg. These two cases illustrate the utility of simple-store-and-forward telemedicine technology in distance consultation, referral, and education.