Friday 23 November 2018

Applications Of Telehealth In The Provision Of Healthcare Services

By Ruth Hill


The world today relies heavily on technology and rightly so. Technology has made many things a lot easier than was the case previously. The provision of healthcare is no exception. Technology has been incorporated in many aspects of providing preventive and curative health services which has served to improve efficiency in a remarkable manner. This is what has given rise to the concept of telehealth.

One of the major factors that have driven healthcare in this direction is the advancement that has been seen in the technology field. Movement of information is now seamless thanks to the internet and the telephone. By taking advantage of this, doctors and patients have found it a lot easier to exchange information. Better drugs have been developed and many of them can be tolerated by a patient at home hence no need for hospital admissions.

One of the areas that has greatly benefited from the adoption of this concept is the management of chronic diseases. Conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic renal failure and asthma have often meant that patients pay their physicians regular visits to monitor their progress. This is, however, rapidly changing as many of these patients can be monitored remotely and managed which saves them both money and time.

Doctors often have to consult with each other in the course of discharging their duties. Teleconferencing allows them to deliberate on certain challenging cases as a team even when they are not in the same geographical location. The history and physical findings can be shared among several experts and a solution can be reached faster than waiting for everyone to be in direct contact with the patient.

The service has created a platform for collaboration between different providers. This is an important aspect of patient treatment especially when one considers the rare conditions that require wide consultation and expert opinion. Doctors are now able to share and discuss challenging cases with colleagues so as to get the best possible solutions for their patients. Logistical challenges experienced previously have been eliminated.

Like many other major disruptions, this technology faced resistance in its formative stages. Older professionals found it difficult to transition to a form of practice where a significant part of their practice had to be computer driven. Many others feared that telemedicine would replace them as practitioners. However, they have learned to work with the technology after realizing the numerous benefits associated with it.

Many patients have readily accepted the new way of doing things but some still have reservations. One of the causes for concern is their own privacy. Reassurances have centred around restrictions in access to private patient information. Only authorized healthcare professionals have accounts with accompanying user names and passwords. Moreover, information can only be extracted or shared with the consent of the patient.

The use of technology in medicine is here to stay. The advantages have significantly outweighed the downsides and many people are coming on board. It appears as though most people will have most of their health needs addressed just at the touch of a button. Of course, this is with the exception of surgical interventions which require direct contact with the doctor.




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