Over the past two decades, the Internet and technology both have been expanding at a rapid rate producing skyrocketing and unprecedented results.
The sudden pandemic broke down the major economies as well as several companies got devastated.
A need for change is the basic requirement that forces every industry to get to the best of their capabilities and adopt the technological changes which are required in the organization and the health sector is no exception to it.
The most emerging names in health along with technology are Telehealth and Telemedicine.
Though the names appear giant and complex they are too simple as it is just the use of electronic media, communications, and IT to deliver clinical assistance, counseling, and treatments to the patients in a remote manner this can be called Telemedicine.
Telehealth on the other hand refers to a wider application of technologies where every aspect associated with dealing with the health of the patient gets assisted whether it is videoconferencing, remote monitoring, or any other component.
Every traditional approach of treating a patient individually and in-person is taking a step forward and the same treatments are given by healthcare professionals in a remote manner and through various tools of telehealth and telemedicine.
Telehealth and Telemedicine offer a wide range of services and it serves a variety of purposes such as:
1. Specialist Referral Services:
It requires a specialist which provides help to a general practitioner in giving advice.
This further involves a patient looking for a specialist through a remote consultation or live video calls where medical data of the patients get provided to the doctors.
Even the data storing capacity of the individual makes it more appealing and useful for healthcare professionals and specialists. No matter where this specialist resides, patients can seek out the top doctors and professionals to get the care or advice they need. This can be an appealing thought to many, as they get peace of mind that they are taking the right action.
2. Direct Patient care
This direct care that gets provided to the patients is something that both the patients as well as the healthcare professionals are fond of.
Sharing audio, video, and the medical data which transits between a patient and the healthcare professionals for a number of uses such as identifying the problem faced by the patients, the plans which are provided for his treatment, and the prescriptions or advice which gets delivered to the patients.
This whole process can get executed whether a patient is at the clinic, home, or any other place.
3. Remote Patient monitoring
The smart devices help in tracking down the location details of the patients and this collection of massive data gets further transferred to the monitoring station for further analysis.
Apps working under this sector include the measurements which help in capturing vital signs, such as blood pressure, glucose, and every other minute detail. This means that those patients who otherwise would not have been able to get to a clinic can receive the same healthcare treatment as those that can. Equal healthcare opportunities thanks to telemedicine and apps could make a huge difference. Apps can uncover potential problems and monitor patients no matter how far they are.
Such services are likely to affect the jobs of nurses in the upcoming years. However, this isn’t to say that it will wipe out the need for nurses. The human touch is a vital element of healthcare, after all. Rather, the addition of these services will free up a nurse’s time and reduce the stress they have on their shoulders on any given day. Solutions like this can work seamlessly with the staff in hospitals and clinics. By removing the time-hungry tasks, they can put their all into other job areas, such as focusing on giving the patient an even more comfortable time while they are in their care. Being able to take the time to ease a patient who is stressed or anxious could make all the difference in the patient coming away with a better experience. If healthcare staff can embrace technology in this regard, the industry could face transformative changes.
4. Medical Education and mentoring
The telehealth and telemedicine sector is making a difference in the industry for those who are just entering by changing the way medical education and mentoring can be conducted. While training on telehealth used to be limited, now more and more are embracing this form of training, as they realize that some situations may result in telemedicine is the only available form of health care contact people can get.
By preparing the next generation to be able to use these technologies early on in their careers, thousands of health care professionals will be able to smoothly offer high-quality and personalized health care through digital means, and patients won’t be at risk of health conditions being missed.
As telemedicine continues on the rise and more and more people become aware of the abilities to gain education through alternative routes, it may be possible to fulfill the demand for nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals all over. Of course, learning online isn’t an entirely new concept. Over the years, online degrees have grown in popularity as they offer a flexible way for people to study and work at the same time. Healthcare careers become a viable option for students from all backgrounds because they could study from wherever they were, at whatever time was best for them. One of the great aspects of online learning was that it provided a suitable path for those who already held a bachelor’s degree in a different learning subject. They could take an online ABSN that has in-build placements and start a meaningful career.
The scope of medical education was previously limited to in-person training, but now with the realization that telemedicine could play a big part in the future of healthcare, educators and mentors are seeing the true benefits of teaching through digital means. The bonus is that learning online results in students gaining more than just medical skills. They will also learn how to effectively manage their time, communication skills, how to use technology well within this industry, research skills, as well as problem-solving skills. If students can gain the skills from just learning, think about what they can from practicing in their job.
It has a wide scope right from the allocation of continuously conducting and noting the credits received by the healthcare professionals and seminars for highlighting the groups and then asking for expert advice which is further needed in conductional another medical procedure.
Noting the credits received by the healthcare professionals and having seminars in telemedicine is going to be the future.
5. Consumer medical information
It makes proper use of the internet for customers which helps them to procure specialized health information by providing peer support.
There are numerous ways where data gets delivered by different mechanisms where it gets relied on.
The goals and objectives of Telemedicine and Telehealth are supportive and complementary to each other.
The delivery mechanisms used by telehealth and telemedicine sectors are as follows:
6. Point-to-point connections
The private networks which are been used by the clinics, and hospitals often render services directly or indirectly and even provide ambulance services from homes to the medical clinics and hospitals.
7. Directing patients for tracking center links
Such tracking centers are widely used by cardiac, pulmonary, and other assistance is provided to the patients which help in balancing their lifestyle along with tackling health issues.
8. Web-based E-health
Such apps and websites provide a gateway to directly reaching out to the customers and framing out services over the internet.
How Telemedicine is interrelated to Health IT
The aims and objectives of telemedicine and health IT complements the requirements of each other. Telemedicine is the way of providing health care that utilizes health information technology to achieve its objectives.
On the contrary, health information technologies are components that sanction the delivery of healthcare services through a large distance remotely with the help of tools and equipment.
Health IT magnifies the frequency of using telemedicine apps. It is also crucial to note down the difference between Telemedicine and HIT.
Telehealth is completely reliant upon the use of telecommunications and related forms of technologies and therefore it basically reports and dispatches the patients and customer care services.
In some aspects, the differences can be made out clear between the clinicians and the IT world.
It becomes crucial to recognize, identify, understand and accept the telehealth along with HIT that can work conjointly for rendering better healthcare services.
The foundation of HIT assists the proliferation and utilizes electronic health records, administrative services along with all the clinical services.
All the other applications and components are co-related under HIT.
For example, EHR provides aid to the care delivery system through its multiple modes. Telemedicine makes everything appear as it becomes available for review to the professional and such equipment allows the professional to know about the practicalities of the patients and their health.
Final Words
All the companies under this category of health and sanitation have been adopting and facing a number of challenges since its evolution.
The HIT along with telemedicine will be making more revolutionary changes in the healthcare sector in the upcoming years.