Advocates throughout the public health emergency and medical disaster response communities support the proposition that telehealth/telemedicine technologies can significantly enhance public health emergency and disaster medical preparedness and response activities. 

Empirical evidence supporting the use of telehealth during public health emergencies and disaster medical responses is emerging. Anecdotal information does suggest that telehealth can be efficacious during these events. Telehealth could potentially allow first responders at the scene of a disaster to gain immediate access to expertise and resources, regardless of location or distance from the event. Additionally, telehealth technologies are well-suited for response and recovery efforts during radiological incidents or bioterror events, where just-in-time prevention, long-term support, rare specialties, and additional intellectual resources are required.