The World Health Organization (WHO) describes telemedicine as delivery of health care services, through a virtual medium, at times when the distance becomes a critical factor. The healthcare experts while sitting at one corner of the world make use of some vital information of the patient in order to exchange prescription for diagnosis, treatment and for the prevention of diseases or injury.
It is also used for the purpose of further research and evaluation in the very field of medicine which benefits both medical experts as well as patients. It can help in education and advancements of the individuals and their communities.
The doctors are in touch with the patients through phones, emails, as well as webcams. The world is coming closer and distance is ever reducing due to such technological advancements. Patients can now easily get in touch with a home healthcare provider electronically; also the doctors can prevent major loss of life by making split-second decisions on heart attacks and strokes, through such medium.
With the use of virtual consultations, patients can show their test results and do the diagnosis for various health conditions like blood pressure or heart rates and, even take medical consultations while sitting at home.
The Significant Improvements
Telemedicine has brought a significant importance in the healthcare sector. This has not only brought value to the sector but also, helped patients living in the remote sector, avail immediate access to healthcare professionals. Also, the patients can get real-time access to health data and monitoring capabilities.
Here is a review of aspects that make telemedicine a significant trend in healthcare:
- Improved Results
Telemedicine is a platform, wherein today it is also promoting health monitoring. Patients are making use of their smartphone devices to make use of such tools and get instant health-related information in real-time. The result of using such platforms has been positive. Also, this has helped in improving the health of patients, especially those who are living in remote locations. As the outcomes continue to be measured, this platform has the scope to provide even better opportunities to help raise the standard of living of those living in distant locations.
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Improved Consumer Access
As the number of patients being exposed to this video consulting platform continues to grow, many consumers doubt the fact that if the physicians will be able to perform follow-up visits over the internet. Also, in some cases, parents look for options for the convenience of their children, to avail primary care in the comfort of their home. There have been many such successful implementations for such cases and this platform continues to make a strong case for the value of telemedicine.
- Increase in Overall Efficiency
With the help of right technology, many health organizations today can significantly cut down their operational costs by using these services. But it needs to also perform regular follow up visits especially for remotely located patients.
- Government Support and Funding
With the manifold increase of the platform, there have been significant efforts on part of the government to support this medical platform. Also, there have been several promotional efforts been done for those medical practitioners and platform, who provide medical aid to the people living in distant and remote locations of the country.
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Technology Available
Whether you use any platform for having a video conference, be it WebEx services, Microsoft, Google, Skype, Lync, or simply FaceTime, all such platforms can promote the telehealth platform. Telemedicine healthcare platforms use all such platforms, although some improvise with a little extra security. Some platforms even offer some added functionalities, like document sharing, archiving, and even multiple-conferencing feature.
- Satisfaction Of Patient
Patients today are looking for more and more convenience. And for many, the least they want is to drive all the way to get consultations, find a babysitter, or simply wait in the waiting room for hours. Mostly the patients today are looking to get immediate access to a medical expert, this can be made possible through telehealth platform.
- 7. Advanced Medical Records
While telemedicine platform is providing several improved types of data, even the vendors today are providing support to new types of formats of data sets.
Changing Scenario
The time is not far when telemedicine practices would be considered just another way to consult a medical health specialist. Technologies like remote monitoring have immense potential to gather a significant amount of clinical data from multiple patients. All we need today is to support such practices and promoted them, in order to revolutionize the field of medicine. Helping those patients who have limited to no access to a decent medical health facility, can bring about a positive change in overall health statistics and promote healthy living.
However, on the other hand, there have been a lot of cases that were reported for loss of information due to the software glitch or hardware meltdown. Therefore, relying way too much on computers can at times backfire as well. In order to eliminate the risks involved and to avail the benefits at the same time, a balance has to be maintained where there is an appropriate amount of computer solutions given including the human intelligence
Author Bio:
Stephen Cooper is a rising name in the telemedicine and telehealth industry. He loves to read, travel, and write informative blogs that benefit telehealth across the globe. He has written some really constructive posts regarding telehealth and telemedicine services that are providing video consultations worldwide. You can follow his work online!
