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Telemedicine enables patients to establish remote contact with a doctor, consult their health status and receive medical advice. The services included in the concept of telemedicine are varied, but each of them responds to patients’ problems and the needs of doctors. What new solutions does telemedicine provide us with?
Telemedicine – more opportunities for patients and doctors
Telemedicine is a fairly young industry, which, however, is becoming more and more popular and is developing efficiently. This is because telemedicine responds to the needs of patients and medical professionals by filling in some gaps in health services. The demand for services based on new technologies is significant, as demonstrated by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic.
At the height of the COVID-19 epidemic, the ability to contact a doctor remotely or receive an e-prescription without leaving home turned out to be invaluable for many patients. However, the possibilities of telemedicine extend beyond the state of the epidemic. Many services could be used earlier, but it was the coronavirus that made many more people interested in them.
See also: Myths about telemedicine. We overturn the most repeated ones!
Telemedicine services – quickly and without leaving your home
Many patients want quick access to medical services, which is often not achievable due to long queues to specialists and complicated logistics of making appointments. This is the problem that telemedicine is trying to solve by enabling quick contact with a doctor by phone, virtual chat or video conference.
Make an appointment for a TV visit it therefore means that the waiting time may be shorter than in the case of a visit to the office. In addition, the patient does not have to leave the house, plan directions to the clinic or wait in line for a doctor’s consultation.
Therefore, telemedicine offers a chance for:
- shortening queues to doctors;
- accelerating the process of making an appointment and the use of a medical consultation – the patient saves the time needed to register in person at the facility, travel and waiting in front of the office;
- obtaining quick medical adviceon the basis of which you can receive recommendations from a doctor, arrange examinations, and, if appropriate, plan a personal visit to the office.
Telemedicine – coordinated healthcare
One of the main advantages of telemedicine it is possible to ensure continuity of treatment for patients. It turned out to be possible during the coronavirus epidemic, when the use of inpatient medical care was limited, and telepaths became the main form of contact with a doctor for many patients.
Telemedicine allows you to benefit from coordinated health care, which consists of prophylaxis, diagnostics and treatment. During a telemedicine consultation, the doctor conducts an interview with the patient, may also assess the test results, make a diagnosis and propose further treatment. If required, he or she can provide you with an e-prescription, e-referral or e-waiver. As a result, some of the patient’s health problems can be solved at the stage of telemedicine advice.
Do you need e-waiver or e-referral? Or maybe you want to extend your e-prescription? On the haloDoctor platform, you can talk to your doctor within 10 minutes. If you change your current health care clinic, it will also be possible to have free remote consultations with your family doctor. Check how the change procedure works
Although in some cases it is not possible to perform all the required activities within telemedicine services, they are useful supplementing health services. Telemedicine fills some systemic gaps, facilitating treatment continuity:
- shortens the time of resolving health problems;
- facilitates treatment of chronically ill patients – patients can receive an e-prescription or consult a doctor without leaving home;
- increases the effectiveness of prophylaxis by involving patients more in taking care of their health;
- monitoring of patients’ health becomes possible in a remote form (e.g. telerehabilitation, telecardiology, telediabetology).
Telemedicine – monitoring the health of patients
Telemedicine is not only services for people who want to consult on health issues, receive a prescription, release or referral. Telemedicine services are also special programs that enable monitoring the health of patients struggling with various medical problems or at risk of certain diseases.
From the report of the Telemedicine Foundation of the Working Group, we can find out what medical undertakings have become possible in Poland thanks to telemedicine:
- Breast cancer prevention. Thanks to the telemedicine system used for self-examination of the breasts at home, 92% of women covered by the breast cancer prevention program underwent a regular examination in the Kurządnik commune. women (35-49 years old), while earlier it was only 5 percent.
- Hybrid cardiac telerehabilitation program. The study conducted by the Institute of Cardiology and Medicalgoritmics SA shows that PocketECG telemedicine cardiological monitoring allows for even twice as many diagnoses than the traditional Holter EKG.
Telemedicine solutions also offer other possibilities, including collecting auscultatory data thanks to the transmission of sound recording through an electronic stethoscope or measuring the patient’s sugar level with a glucometer. Depending on the needs, the patient may receive from the doctor the recommendation to also perform other measurements biochemical parameters. The ability to analyze the results of research remotely is also useful.
Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE: Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers.
Read also:
- Telemedicine – what is an e-visit? Who Can Use Teleportation?
- How to use medical care in the era of coronavirus?
- Online medical advice at the National Health Fund. How to consult a doctor?
Do you have questions about telemedicine? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. All the most important information on telemedicine can be found HERE: Telemedicine – frequently asked questions and answers