Telemedicine: How to Adopt It in Your Medical Practice

What is telemedicine?

Telemedicine is the practice of medicine occurring virtually, without the patient being physically present. In most cases, telemedicine is restricted to doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals in a specific field. Traditionally, these professionals involved themselves in conversations via computer screens and conference calls, often referred to as remote consults. Other telemedicine-related fields such as social media, mobile apps and e-consults also fall under the purview of telemedicine. Telemedicine is the primary example of the convergence of the healthcare IT and telemedicine industries. This technological evolution has paved the way for the widespread usage of video conferencing in clinical practice.

 

Why is telemedicine so popular?

What are telemedicine applications? Factors affecting the success of telemedicine Why is telemedicine a problem? Elderly patients in hospitals are severely lacking in social interaction. Many of them don’t feel the urge to use the Internet for various reasons. Many have had years of constant education, or their children used to tell them they should be more computer literate. However, the Internet is not just a tool to help with disease prevention and treatment, but also a tool to keep people updated on their progress. People can follow health updates from their physicians and share them with friends and family members. Read More: 7 Benefits of Using Telemedicine for Healthcare Online forms help patients compare treatments and make the best choices.

 

What are the benefits of telemedicine?

Accurate diagnosis and timely treatment: The main benefit of telemedicine is that it will reduce the likelihood of delays in patient care and allow better access to the necessary health professionals in remote areas where access to traditional clinics and hospitals is difficult. Reduced cost of deployment: Telemedicine is a tech-savvy concept and the infrastructure needed to achieve it is much easier to set up than any other field. This is especially true when compared with a brick-and-mortar clinic, where being able to deliver service to the whole community requires proper training and skill development of healthcare staff. Improved outcome: The main reason telemedicine services will become popular is the more accurate diagnoses that can be made.

 

How do I adopt telemedicine in my medical practice?

What is Telemedicine? Telemedicine, an emerging service that facilitates face-to-face or telephone-based consultations, is considered the latest in telemedicine services. Using the Internet or video and audio technologies, the doctor can consult patients via the phone or computer screen. And while this is a relatively new phenomenon, telemedicine is already being used to treat serious health conditions. Telemedicine’s popularity has been growing in the past decade, because it’s cost-effective and convenient. Why Use Telemedicine It’s important to understand the potential of telemedicine in the healthcare industry. It provides benefits such as offering easier access to doctors, more efficient consultations, reduced wait times and reduced costs associated with healthcare.

 

The Future of Telemedicine

Most experts agree that telemedicine in healthcare will evolve into a major enterprise providing critical care, disease management, e-health, patient engagement and even remote diagnostics. In the future, healthcare services and providers will have a single access to the patient. What This Means for The Practitioner The path from telemedicine as a tool of communication to telemedicine as an enterprise is still in its infancy. As a practitioner, the primary challenge in adopting telemedicine is knowing where to begin. A practitioner’s current workflow is mostly dependent on face-to-face interactions and the constraints of time. However, the combination of video conferencing and virtual reality will eventually bridge the gap between healthcare provider and patient.

 

Conclusion

Markets change, whether you are in the frontlines or back in the office. Be mindful of your core values and stick to them as you navigate this sea of change. Failure to consider, or understand, changes in market sentiment will leave you at a disadvantage in times of upheaval. More From Forbes: 10 Lessons from The Restarted And Revived Phoenix Genomics Abby Kaberle is a patient safety advocate, educator, and consultant. She has over 10 years of patient safety experience as well as 15 years of diverse healthcare experience. She spent the last two years supporting the development of a new service called CORE2, a telehealth solution, through her work as a Senior Quality Strategy Consultant with Phoenix Genomics.