Sunday, 2 September 2018

The Appeal Of Telemedicine In Rural Areas

By Raymond Jackson


People who live in small or rural towns often lack the medical services they need to stay healthy. They have to travel miles away to bigger towns or forgo medical care altogether. The decision can force some people to suffer from illnesses and injuries needlessly. However, new technology now allows an increasing number of medical providers to bring services to remote locations. With telemedicine, small and rural towns now have the healthcare residents need to stay well.

This type of medical care is not something that itself is necessarily new. It actually is at least 20 years old and originated when nurses, doctors, and other healthcare providers used to drive RVs or vans that served as medical clinics on wheels. People in the town or county could come to the vehicles to receive basic services that ranged from blood pressure checks to vaccines. If a consultation was necessary, the provider had to make a phone call to a specialist or facility miles away.

Today, phone calls no longer need to be made although they are still an option that can be used. Instead, these medical clinics on wheels have wireless connections that allow them to use the Internet to meet with providers working in clinics and hospitals elsewhere. Communication modes like Skype serve as the platform by which these meetings take place. Doctors and patients are able to come face to face instantly.

It also serves as a platform by which a doctor can view a patient's medical records without the paperwork having to be scanned, faxed, or mailed into him or her. The patient likewise gets the chance to speak to a doctor face to face and have questions answered, concerns allayed, and other needs met. This individual has no need to get in his or her car and drive miles away to a big city just to visit the provider in person.

This technology has also proven helpful in addressing the needs of at-risk individuals like the elderly. Aging individuals who live in rural areas sometimes go without the medical services needed to stay safe and well. They sometimes cannot afford to drive miles from home even if they are physically capable of driving.

The services allow doctors and nurses to access seniors who otherwise might suffer with sicknesses and injuries that could be easily treated. They can bring the mobile units to the town where seniors can get to readily. They also may be able to bring prescription medications to these patients.

More hospitals and medical agencies are offering grants to rural healthcare facilities. The federal government is also offering grants for these purposes. It has been argued that within the next decade nearly every rural town could be served in such a manner.

Technology now allows hospitals and specialty facilities to broaden their reach into rural areas of the country. They are able to meet with and serve people who could be at risk of suffering illnesses and injuries. The recipients likewise also avoid having to drive dozens of miles away from home just to get treated for a wide variety of health conditions. People no longer have to decide whether they can afford to make such a trip or if it is better for them to stay home.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment