The Internet has transformed our lives in so many ways. It has changed how we communicate, shop, study, and now it is even changing how we access healthcare. Telehealth refers to using digital communication technology for your healthcare needs. It was already a growing industry before the outbreak of Covid-19, but the pandemic has highlighted just how useful telehealth can be. From enabling patients to speak to their doctors remotely to helping those in remote areas get treatment, the possibilities for this technology are huge.
To help everyone understand more about the benefits of telehealth, here is a guide to how it works and what it can do for you.
What does Telehealth Mean?
Telehealth is just the use of digital technologies to communicate with healthcare providers or access healthcare services. These technologies could include a computer, tablet, or smartphone, and can be used by patients for a range of queries, consultations, and requests. With more and more people having access to this technology and a general societal shift to automated and technology-based solutions, telehealth is becoming more and more important.
What Can Telehealth Be Used For?
Perhaps a better question would be “What can’t telehealth be used for?” Let’s imagine, for example, that you have diabetes. This is a common illness that affects over 10% of the population of the US alone. You could use telehealth to upload your eating records, dosing levels, and blood sugar numbers so that they can be reviewed and responded to digitally by a nurse or doctor. This means that you wouldn’t need to go to a hospital, saving you time and money.
Likewise, telehealth can be used to obtain your medical records quickly and easily. These can be important for many things such as obtaining visas or transferring to a new doctor’s clinic. If, for example, you have recently undergone physical therapy, you can obtain your Physical Therapy EMR (electronic medical records) to pass onto your doctor. This helps medical providers to improve their care and saves the patient having to go and get their records in person.
What are the Advantages of Telehealth?
We have all seen how dangerous it has been for people to go into hospital during COVID-19 and so many services have been suspended. With telehealth, patients can get the help they need without having to put themselves at risk. People who live in isolated or rural communities where there are no medical facilities or any way for them to reach one can use telehealth for diagnosis, patient-doctor consultations, and medical analysis. Telehealth also enables the easy sharing of patient information and records (with their consent) between different healthcare providers and supplementary therapy professionals.
Telehealth has so many amazing applications and it is already transforming the healthcare industry. The opportunities it can provide patients as well as the strain it can take off healthcare providers means that this technology is beneficial for everyone in the system. If you are a healthcare provider or you are looking at new ways to access your healthcare needs, find out what telehealth services are available to make your life easier.
