Telemedicine, often known as telehealth or e-medicine, is the remote delivery of healthcare services over telecommunication infrastructures, such as exams and consultations. Telemedicine allows doctors to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients without having to see them in person. Patients can communicate with doctors from the comfort of their own homes utilizing personal technology or by visiting a telehealth kiosk.
A typical telemedicine checkup for patients at home is installing an app like LiveHealth or phoning a telemedicine number, which is usually supplied as part of health insurance by a primary care physician’s office or the patient’s company. The remote patient will be connected to a clinician after sharing information about their medical history and symptoms. The call will end with the patient receiving additional advice, such as taking over-the-counter medication, filling a prescription, visiting a hospital, or scheduling a follow-up appointment, based on the clinician’s assessment.
Telemedicine is primarily divided into three types of solutions: store-and-forward, remote patient monitoring, and real-time encounters.
Store-and-Forward Telemedicine
Asynchronous telemedicine is another name for store-and-forward telemedicine. It is a way through which healthcare providers transmit patient medical information with a physician, radiologist, or specialists in another location, such as lab tests, imaging studies, videos, and other documents. It’s similar to email, but it’s done with a system that has built-in, advanced security protections to protect patient privacy.
Patients, primary care physicians, and specialists may all study the information when it is convenient for them, making store-and-forward telemedicine an efficient way for them to interact. Patients can access a care team made up of providers in multiple places, even over great distances and time zones, thanks to this strategy.
Store-and-forward is extremely common in specific specialties, such as dermatology, ophthalmology, and radiology, for diagnosing and treating patients.
Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote patient monitoring, sometimes known as “telemonitoring,” is a way of tracking a patient’s vital signs and activity from afar. This form of monitoring is commonly used to manage high-risk patients, such as those who have heart issues or have recently been discharged from the hospital.
Remote monitoring can also help in the management of a variety of chronic illnesses. Diabetics, for example, can use it to track their glucose levels and email the information to their doctor. Elderly people can be monitored easily and affordably at home or in assisted living settings.
Real-time telemedicine
Real-time video visits are probably the first thing that springs to mind when you think of telemedicine. Patients and providers utilize video conferencing software to hear and see each other during a real-time telemedicine encounter. While other types of telemedicine are used to supplement traditional in-person visits, real-time telemedicine can be used in some cases to replace a trip to the doctor’s office. It is widely used for primary care, urgent care, follow-up visits, and pharmaceutical and chronic illness management.
It’s worth mentioning that consumer video communication apps like Facetime and Skype, which we use to interact with friends and coworkers, aren’t suitable for telemedicine. Telehealth encounters should be done with technology that is designed to preserve patient privacy and comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s stringent patient protection requirements (HIPAA).
Each type of telemedicine provides a new way for clinicians to treat patients with effective and efficient care. They provide patients with more options and make it easier for them to acquire the care they need.
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