Telemedicine involves “the exchange of medical information from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s health status.” It’s the clinical component to telehealth, which also encompasses non-clinical services. In particular, telehealth is anticipated to have a significant impact on home health care.
Telehealth, then and now
It started as a means of serving patients in remote areas but has since grown to become a critical part of evaluations and treatment across a full spectrum of healthcare organizations, including hospitals, private physicians offices, and home health agencies.
While telehealth may have originated with the telephone, it now encompasses many dynamic forms of technology, including two-way video, smartphones, email and other wireless tools. Telehealth offers a number of services that are used to extend the reach of traditional health care, including primary care and specialist referral services, remote patient monitoring for homebound patients or as a supplement to visiting nurse care, access to consumer medical and health information, and continuing education opportunities for nurses and other health care professionals.
The benefits of telehealth
A recent health care conference (U.S. News Healthcare of Tomorrow) made it known that telehelath should not be viewed as a supplement to modern medicine, but as an integral and necessary part of the system. Telehealth options can equal less stress for providers, patients and their families.
While the full potential of telehealth is still emerging, its benefits can currently be grouped into four fundamental areas.
- Telehealth promises improved access to patients all over the world—potentially millions of previously unreachable patients.
- It’s linked with increased efficiency and lowered costs because of decreased travel time, shared staffing, shorter hospital stays, and improved chronic disease management.
- Telehealth enhances care quality, resulting in life-saving diagnoses and treatments.
- Improved patient satisfaction can be a result of offering telehealth as consumers have come to demand it.
