Telementoring is a useful adjunct in the field of pediatric surgery that can aid in the transfer of surgical skills remotely and shorten the time to implementation of new surgical techniques into practice. Optimal telementoring technology should have a secure wireless connection, high video resolution, and minimal bandwidth latency.

Telemedicine is a broad term and has recently become a household term in the medical field. However, there are many interpretations as to what the term "telemedicine" means. There are many facets to telemedicine and here we describe all of the elements of telemedicine, a glossary of terms, and how they relate to pediatric surgery.

Tele-education has the potential to facilitate rapid sharing and dissemination of current research and knowledge among pediatric surgeons around the world. Classically, the exchange of surgical research occurred via national surgical conferences, articles published in peer-reviewed journals, and textbooks. The advent of Web 2.0 and the rapid pace of technologic advancement have allowed knowledge, education, and research to be exchanged online. Virtual symposiums act as online conferences where participants present and debate new research and surgical techniques in real-time web meetings. Resource libraries allow up-to-date information to be archived and viewed at the user's convenience, bypassing the need to wait long periods for paper publications. Tele-education allows pediatric surgeons to connect and share ideas around the world, while saving time and money.

With decreased resident experience during training and the constant evolution of new surgical techniques, surgeons are at risk for complications during the early part of the learning curve. Mentorship by experienced surgeons may mitigate these complications. The availability of such advanced telepresence technology makes it logical that this will be used as part of the model to proctor, mentor, and train practicing surgeons. Here, we review the current state of telementoring.