E-Health
Telemedicine is the use of modern technological infrastructure to physically and psychologically diagnose and treat patients at a distance. It includes the telemonitoring of patient functions. Telehealth is the delivery of healthcare, health education, and health information services via telecommunications and digital communication technologies. The difference in the two communications is that. In contrast, Telemedicine specifically refers to the provision of clinical services via remote means, Telehealth is a universal term that incorporates all aspects of healthcare delivery and the healthcare system services (Administration, training and meetings) that are conducted through telecommunications technology.
Today, telecommunications play an essential role in medicine. Telemedicine offers a patient centered approach (real-time patient care) hence improving the quality of patient care. Telemedicine is also appropriate for a patient who need urgent appointment with medical specialists while within their remote areas. This saves time and increases access to quality healthcare services. Telemedicine is also appropriate to patients with limited financial capabilities (Mahar, Rosencrance, & Rasmussen, 2018). A patient will save a lot on transportation costs and in-patient care costs. For patients requiring regular engagement with their physicians/ specialist, telemedicine is the appropriate approach. Through telemedicine, patients can maintain appointments, medical care schedules and can monitor their health status and raise concerns for timely interventions.
Although telemedicine has been very effective in patient care, it still has some flaws which need timely interventions. Telemedicine reduced provider care continuity. Patients have the freedom to select any specialists who may have insufficient patient’s medical history or have information of patient care routines. Setting up and maintaining telemedicine infrastructure is expensive and time consuming. Telemedicine requires tough regulations and policies to prevent unauthorized service providers from exploiting patients.
Telehealth is appropriate in improving clinical workflows (improving communication, improved prioritization of care delivery, and retrieval of patient data) and increasing practice efficiency (timely access to doctors). Telehealth is appropriate in improving healthcare quality. Through telehealth, providers can serve more patients thus reducing the impact of healthcare workers shortages. Telehealth is useful in advancing provider education and training on various health issues. Health systems have more control on what services are offered by providers (Brophy, 2017).
Despite these benefits, telehealth still has various limitations. The lack of personal touch between a nurse and the patient limits the provider from conducting common physical diagnosis such as taking swabs, palpations and hearing the heart or lungs (O’Connell, 2015). It increases the chances of misdiagnosis in patient care. Telehealth infrastructure and maintenance is costly for some healthcare providers.
In conclusion, healthcare provision is deeply rooted in individualized care for patients. As healthcare providers, we need the ability to balance between face-to-face practices with the new technological approaches without interfering with the quality of patient care.
References
Brophy, P. (2017). Overview on the Challenges and Benefits of Using Telehealth Tools in a Pediatric Population. Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease.
Mahar, J., Rosencrance, G., & Rasmussen, P. (2018). Telemedicine: Past, Present, and Future. Cleveland Clinic Journal Of Medicine.
O’Connell, P. (2015). Advantages and Challenges to Using Telehealth Medicine. Global Journal of Medical Research.