Healthcare is going digital
Have you ever heard about the telehealth? Telehealth is the use of digital information and communication technologies, such as computers and mobile devices, to access health care services remotely and manage your health care. These may be technologies you use from home or that your doctor uses to improve or support health care services.
Consider, for example, the ways telehealth could help you if you have diabetes. You could do some or all of the following:
Use a mobile phone or other device to upload food logs, medications, dosing and blood sugar levels for review by a nurse who responds electronically.
Watch a video on carbohydrate counting and download an app for it to your phone.
Use an app to estimate, based on your diet and exercise level, how much insulin you need.
Use an online patient portal to see your test results, schedule appointments, request prescription refills or email your doctor.
Order testing supplies and medications online.
Get a mobile retinal photo screening at your doctor's office rather than scheduling an appointment with a specialist.Get email, text or phone reminders when you need a flu shot, foot exam or other preventive care.
The goals of telehealth, also called e-health or m-health (mobile health), include the following:
Make health care accessible to people who live in rural or isolated communities.
Make services more readily available or convenient for people with limited mobility, time or transportation options.
Provide access to medical specialists.Improve communication and coordination of care among members of a health care team and a patient.
Provide support for self-management of health care.
Telehealth = telemedicine?
Oxford’s telemedicine definition is “the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology.” Telemedicine encompasses the use of technologies and telecommunication systems to administer healthcare to patients who are geographically separated from providers. For example, a radiologist may read and interpret the imaging results for a patient in a different county whose hospital does not currently have a radiologist on staff. Or a physician may conduct an urgent-care consultation via video for a non-life-threatening condition.
Where telemedicine refers specifically to the practice of medicine via remote means, telehealth is a blanket term that covers all components and activities of healthcare and the healthcare system that are conducted through telecommunications technology.
Technology & telehealth: the tools used
Patient portal
Your primary care clinic may have an online patient portal. These portals offer an alternative to email, which is a generally insecure means to communicate about private medical information. A portal provides a more secure online tool to do the following:
Communicate with your doctor or a nurse.Request prescription refills.
Review test results and summaries of previous visits.
Schedule appointments or request appointment reminders.
If your doctor is in a large health care system, the portal also may provide a single point of communication for any specialists you may see. In fact you can contact us for further information concerning our medical network.
Virtual appointments
Some clinics may provide virtual appointments that enable you to see your doctor or a nurse via online videoconferencing. These appointments enable you to receive ongoing care from your regular doctor when an in-person visit isn't required or possible.
Other virtual appointments include web-based "visits" with a doctor or nurse practitioner. These services are generally for minor illnesses, similar to the services available at a drop-in clinic. Some large companies provide access to virtual doctors' offices as a part of their health care offerings.
When you log into a web-based service, you are guided through a series of questions. The doctor or nurse practitioner can prescribe medications, suggest home care strategies or recommend additional medical care.
Similarly, a nursing call center is staffed with nurses who use a question-and-answer format to provide advice for care at home. A nursing call center doesn't diagnose an illness or prescribe medications.
Remote monitoring
A variety of technologies enable your doctor or health care team to monitor your health remotely. These technologies include:
Web-based or mobile apps for uploading information, such as blood glucose readings, to your doctor or health care team
Devices that measure and wirelessly transmit information, such as blood pressure, blood glucose or lung function
Wearable devices that automatically record and transmit information, such as heart rate, blood glucose, gait, posture control, tremors, physical activity or sleep patterns
Home monitoring devices for older people or people with dementia that detect changes in normal activities such as falls
Doctors talking to doctors
Doctors can also take advantage of technology to provide better care for their patients. One example is a virtual consultation that allows primary care doctors to get input from specialists when they have questions about your diagnosis or treatment.
The primary care doctor sends exam notes, history, test results, X-rays or other images to the specialist to review. The specialist may respond electronically, conduct a virtual appointment with you at your doctor's office, or request a face-to-face meeting.
These virtual consultations may prevent unnecessary in-person referrals to a specialist, reduce wait times for specialist input and eliminate unnecessary travel.
Personal health records
An electronic personal health record system — often called a PHR system — is a collection of information about your health that you control and maintain. A PHR app is accessible to you anytime via a web-enabled device, such as your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
In an emergency, a personal health record can quickly give emergency personnel vital information, such as current diagnoses, medications, drug allergies and your doctor's contact information.
Personal health apps
A multitude of apps have been created to help consumers better organize their medical information in one secure place. These digital tools may help you:
Store personal health information.Record vital signs.
Calculate and track caloric intake.Schedule reminders for taking medicine.
Record physical activity, such as your daily step count.
The potential of telehealth
Technology has the potential to improve the quality of health care and to make it accessible to more people. Telehealth may provide opportunities to make health care more efficient, better coordinated and closer to home.
Research about telehealth is still relatively new, but it's growing. For example, studies have shown that both telephone-based support and telemonitoring of vital signs of people with heart failure reduced the risk of death and hospitalization for heart failure and improved quality of life.
Benefits of telehealth
Although virtual visits may not be as common as traditional in person doctor’s appointments, there are many benefits that explain why this type of care is growing in popularity.
Limiting physical contact reduces everyone’s exposure to COVID-19
Visiting virtually can address health issues wherever patients are, even from the comfort of home
Staying put cuts down on commuting, travel in bad weather, time off from work, need for child care
Using virtual health care tools can shorten wait times to see a provider and expand the range of access to specialists who live further away
Strong continued uptake, favorable consumer perception, and tangible investment into this space are all contributing to the continued growth of telehealth in 2021.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/telehealth/art-20044878
https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.18.0268
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/telehealth-a-quarter-trillion-dollar-post-covid-19-reality
