Manar Said

Year 12

The Green School

Article : science , news

What is telemedicine:

Telemedicine allows healthcare professionals to provide clinical health care and  treat patients at a distance using telecommunications technology.

Examples of telemedicine services:

Home monitoring- care services at home

Tele consultation-getting expert knowledge from someone across distance

Diagnosis at distance-Diagnosis of a patient by a physician at distance

Telemonitoring-involves remotely monitoring patients who are not at the same location as the health care provider.

How is telemedicine used in the healthcare?

telemedicine is used in medical fields such as dermatology, behavioral health and cardiology as a way to provide better care to communities.It is also considered a way to significantly reduce the cost of treating health conditions, including hypertension and diabetes.

History of telemedicine:

Telemedicine was established in the 1950s whereby a few hospitals and university medical centres explored many ways to share information and images through telephones. One of its first successes was two health centres in Pennsylvania that were able to transmit radiologic images simply using their phone. It was a way for those that lived in rural or hard to reach places to communicate with specialist doctors now with the rise of the internet, smart devices and high-quality video has made it easier to deliver remote healthcare to patients in their homes, workplace etc as an alternative to in-person visits to the hospital.

Advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine:

Advantages :

  • No transportation – save time and money
  • Reduced outpatient visits
  • It saves lives in the emergency situations - helps when is there is no time to take a patient to hospital
  • Technology has allowed patient monitoring through computer or tablets. Also, doctors can verify prescriptions. Moreover, patients can seek medical-help without moving to clinic through ambulance therefore reducing cost of healthcare.
  • Telemedicine reduces the likelihood of transmitting infectious diseases amongst patient and healthcare experts.

Disadvantages :

  • Telemedicine system requires legal regulations to prevent illegal and unauthorised services.
  • Unable to perform x ray –risk of faulty clinical treatment.
  • Clinical treatment via phone reduces human interaction – increases risk of error.
  • malpractice
  • reimbursement
  • governing laws
  • privacy and protection

Conclusion:

With technology changing considerably,telemedicine has been able to grow significantly allowing those that are limited and restricted to receive the medical attention. Physician has gain quicker access to other professionals without sitting face to face with their patients. The privacy, protection, reimbursement, malpractice, and governing laws are still a concern but the effectiveness of communication to give medical care is needed.