Healthcare technology has dramatically evolved from simply keeping patients medical records in a database to now the latest advancement- the introduction of artificial intelligence. Telemedicine is another technological advancement that appeared like a samaritan during the pandemic. It refers to the direct communication between patients and healthcare providers through advanced telecommunication, and information technology. Telemedicine is the perfect answer to our contemporary lifestyle. It saves time and transportation costs since patients get treatment while staying in the comfort of their homes. Telemedicine is a blessing for patients living in remote areas since healthcare providers face no difficulty reaching them. It also lets physicians meet an audience of patients without being physically there. It means healthcare providers can provide treatment to a group of poor patients through video conferencing as a charity work if they wish to do so. Telemedicine is quite useful in countries with scarce healthcare facilities, making many patients out of reach of modern treatment.
The Rise of Telemedicine
You would be surprised to know that telemedicine has been around for centuries though in different forms, Around 500 BC people living in Greece, and Rome used the earliest form of telemedicine. At that time, the transfer of medical advice, and medicine happened by human messengers. Instances are also available that ancient people used smoke and light reflection to communicate over long distances to convey messages like someone’s birth, death, or the outbreak of a disease. Breakthroughs in telemedicine happened with the invention of the telegraph and telephone. The tectonic shift in this form of healthcare took place in the 1960s thanks to the invention of advanced communication in the form of video, images, and medical records. Modern-day telemedicine which means communicating with patients through video communication was first introduced by clinicians at the University of Nebraska in 1959.
The prospect of telemedicine is promising. Factors fueling the rise of telemedicine include technological innovation, increased internet access and speed, price increase of traditional health care, relaxed regulatory standards, patients’ positive experience, and feedback and social acceptance. The Covid-19 pandemic also played an implicit role in increasing the rise of telemedicine. It was the pandemic time when many people were first introduced to telemedicine. There is little chance that these people will abandon of telemedicine, and they may even promote this remote healthcare system.
Benefits of Telemedicine
One genuine benefit of telemedicine was first felt during the COVID-19 pandemic when virtual communication between patients, and healthcare providers ensured no spread of the disease. Telemedicine has other undeniable benefits. These are
Reach more patients
There are many developing countries where more patients live in rural areas than in urban areas. Commuting to hospitals or healthcare facilities is difficult for patients in these countries. Through telemedicine, healthcare providers can reach patients living in any part of the world if there is Internet access.
Flexibility in appointment setup
For patients setting up an appointment with physicians is a big issue. Maintaining an appointment with a doctor means patients need to manage a range of issues like taking a day off, leaving the house early, or having a company. Consulting with a healthcare provider in the comfort of a patient’s home through telemedicine means no prior strict appointment.
Contain the spread of infectious diseases
Though the pandemic Covid-19 is over, a few contagious diseases remain. And, they will remain as there is no let up in environmental pollution. Providing healthcare through telemedicine means there is no chance that patients with contagious diseases will mix up with other contagious disease free patients.
Cost-Effective
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, inflation has hit every economy-both developed, and developing. In this difficult economic situation, medical expenses are compounding peoples economic woes. Telemedicine reduces patients medical expenses by zeroing conveyance costs.
Challenges and Limitations
Telemedicine is a decades-old remote healthcare system. Its usefulness was unknown to many people until the emergence of Covid-19 when healthcare systems across the world came to a standstill. Since then the use of telemedicine has been on the rise, and the prospect of this healthcare system is positive. However, telemedicine carries several inherent challenges.
Reimbursement
While patients are undeniable beneficiaries of telemedicine, how physicians will be compensated is not well-defined making their reimbursement uncertain. Although this issue is specifically pertinent to the US healthcare system, remote healthcare providers from other countries are also not completely free of compensation issues. In the US, there is no unique coverage for remote patients putting physicians compensation in limbo. Certain requirements in the Medicare and Medicaid systems for telemedicine service-receiving patients make healthcare providers’ payment process difficult. The issue of compensating physicians for telemedicine services provided to patients in different parts of the world remains unresolved, hindering the expansion of virtual healthcare.
Privacy
While telemedicine is quite convenient for patients, the system is not fully secure in protecting sensitive health-related data. The security risk arises due to the use of the Internet in transmitting data. Data transmitted over the Internet is exposed to breach.
Future of Telemedicine
Unfortunately, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic made telemedicine prominent, though this virtual healthcare is decades old. People then practically realized how useful, and convenient this healthcare system is. Primarily, due to the convenience of telemedicine, its prospect is quite promising since many more patients will opt to get treatment at home.
Telemedicine is also expanding its application, which means it will have more patients in the future. Once telemedicine patients were patients with mental health, it expanded its service to dermatology and chronic diseases and now provides surgical consultations.
Technological advancements will also fuel the growth of telemedicine services. Improved quality of video conferencing, more security of patients confidential health data, and the use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis -all of these three factors will make telemedicine service more effective and efficient. The result will be a better patient experience and more patients in the future.
The future of telemedicine is also promising with the increase of the Internet speed. Thanks to the advent of 4G and 5G Internet services in many parts of the world, telemedicine service will reach more remote areas eliminating disparities in healthcare services.
The inclusion of telemedicine services by many hospitals, and healthcare facilities will further expand the use of telemedicine services in the future. In short, there is little chance that telemedicine services will shrink, but rather will increase over time.
Analyzing demographic data of different countries, and developing- reveals that the world population is aging. Healthcare is an important issue for these aging people. Telemedicine services can rightly address the healthcare issue of elderly people. However, this service is no less useful for the young generation due to its convenience, and cost-effectiveness.
