The Rise of Telemedicine: Is It the Future of Healthcare?
What is telemedicine?
Telemedicine is a term that covers the use of technology to deliver
clinical care at a distance. It ensures that a person receives healthcare when needed,
especially for those with limited access to care.
Telemedicine uses electronic and telecommunication to provide an exchange of
medical information, despite a person and their doctor not being in the same room.
It can be as simple as text messaging medical care to as advanced as remotely
controlled surgery.
Experts have used telemedicine in clinical settings for decades, with its first reference
in a clinical setting recorded in medical literature in the late 1950–1960s.
This article explores telemedicine, its uses, potential benefits, and drawbacks. It also
answers frequently asked questions about the practice.
Currently, 76% of hospitals in the United States connect with people at a distance.
They do this through video conferencing or other technology.
A person may also get medical services through a secure portal where the doctor can
access their electronic medical record database.
However, insurance companies and practitioners do not consider telemedicine distinct
from onsite services.
Types:
Telemedicine has several types, including:
real-time video communication
remote monitoring, which involves health data being reported, collected, and
evaluated, such as:
o blood pressures
o cardiac stats
o oxygen levels
respiratory levels
store-and-forward — storing and sharing medical information, such as:
o cat scans
o MRIs
o X-rays
o photos, videos, and text-based patient data
Telemedicine uses:
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), there was 63
fold increase in the use of Medicare visits through telehealth from 2019–2020 as a
result of the COVID-19 pandemic. One-third of these are visits to behavioral health
specialists.
Telemedicine amid the pandemic can help reduce a person’s contact with healthcare
facilities and their risk of COVID-19. It can also help reduce staff exposure.
Telemedicine was underused and understudied until the COVID-19
pandemic, during which reduced regulations and increased payment parity facilitated
a rapid increase in telemedicine consultation. Telemedicine literature to date suggests
that it holds benefits for patients and health care providers, may result in outcomes not
inferior to in-person care, and has cost-saving implications. Future research should
investigate which conditions are best suited to assess and treat via telemedicine
(including physical exam elements), what techniques improve telemedicine
communication, how to help patients equitably access telemedicine, and how to best
educate the future health care workforce.
The idea for modern Telemedicine that we use today appeared around the
1960a,during which time the transmission of video, images and other medical data
occurred. In 1959, the clinicians at the University of Nebraska became the first people
to use video communication for medical purposes.
Charecteristics of Telemedicne:
Store-and-forward
Store-and-forward telemedicine surpasses the need for the medical practitioner to
meet in person with a patient. Instead, patient information such as medical images or
biosignals can be sent to the specialist as needed when it has been acquired from the
patient. This practice is common in the medical fields of dermatology, radiology, and
pathology.
With proper structure and care, store-and-forward telemedicine can save time and
allow medical practitioners to serve the public with their services more fully.
However, this form of telemedicine relies on a history report and documented
information or images, rather than a physical examination, which has the potential to
cause complications such as misdiagnosis.
Remote monitoring
Also known as self-monitoring or self-testing, remote monitoring uses a range of
technological devices to monitor the health and clinical signs of a patient remotely.
This is extensively used in the management of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular
disease, diabetes mellitus, and asthma.
Some of the benefits associated with remote monitoring include cost-effectiveness,
more frequent monitoring, and greater patient satisfaction. There is some risk that
tests conducted by the patients themselves may be inaccurate; however, the outcomes
are generally thought to be similar to professional-patient tests.
Real-time interactive services
Interactive services can provide immediate advice to patients who require medical
attention. There are several different mediums utilized for this purpose, including
phone, online, and home visits. A medical history and consultation about presenting
symptoms can be undertaken, followed by an assessment similar to that which is
usually conducted during face-to-face appointments.
Is It the Future of Healthcare?
The beautiful (and sometimes frustrating) thing about healthcare is that it has A LOT
of room to innovate and make radical advancements. It is widely considered one of
the least innovated sectors, but the opportunity here is huge. The way we approach
patient care can (and I'm sure will) change for the better.
COVID-19 was an external shock that supercharged a lot of reflection and
technological considerations in healthcare. For most of us (in the UK), we probably
can't remember a time when a telephone or video consultation was NOT an option. I
can speak from my own experience by saying I am more shocked now when I see my
GP face to face and we are supposedly 'out of the pandemic'. More seriously, it has
made a lot of organisations look at their digital offering and how they can create more
effective pathways for patients to be seen in a timely appropriate manner.
Societally, we have become more informed about our health - we have lots of access
to information online, and more direct access to 'experts' that aren't necessarily our
regular healthcare professional. Having seen patients myself, I can definitely see the
pros... and the cons of this. We have become accustomed to having access to health
information and expect it. Recently, YouTube Health announced that they're going to
facilitate this by providing a platform for authoritative health information. We'll have
access to accessible reliable health information that comes straight from health
professionals.
Education through Telemedicine:
The current experiences associated with the incorporation of telemedicine in medical
education were explored. Waseh and Dicker emphasized how undergraduate medical
education preclinical years can be central to telemedicine training and exposure.
During the preclinical years, medical students are primarily focused on learning the
foundational knowledge of medicine through classroom lectures, textbook readings,
and hands-on laboratory exercises. However, with the advent of telemedicine, medical
students can now access a wealth of information and resources through the use of
technologies such as video conferencing which can aid in conducting thematic
discussions and presentations.
The majority of telemedicine integration projects were applied during the clinical
years. For instance, the University of Nebraska has integrated telemedicine into its
doctoring stream, whereas the University of Maryland teaches fundamental
telemedicine concepts during lecture time. In order to allow students to practice their
clinical abilities while receiving formative input, Oregon Health and Sciences
University has integrated telemedicine into their objective structured clinical
assessments.
