Types of Telemedicine
What is Telemedicine?
It’s the process of using communication technology for connecting healthcare providers with their patients as well as to each other across vast distances. Telemedicine is manifested in a variety of different ways, with all focused on communications and data transfer. For instance, if in your practice you are able to consult patients via telephone, it’s already telemedicine! Let’s explore the other kinds of telemedicine.
There are mainly three kinds of telemedicine that comprise store-and-forward, remote monitoring and real-time interactive services. Each of them plays a vital role to contribute to overall health care and, when used correctly they can provide substantial benefits to both health professionals as well as patients. Then there are other forms of telemedicine also that we will discuss in this article ahead.
The 3 main types of Telemedicine
Store-and-forward
Telemedicine with Store-and-Forward surpasses the need for a physician to visit in person with the patient. Instead, patient data such as medical pictures or biosignals are sent to the specialist at any time once it is obtained through the patient. This is the norm in the fields of radiology, dermatology and pathology.
Telemedicine stores and forwards medical records and patient records easier to access over long distances. Many kinds of valuable medical information (e.g. medical imaging tests, bio-signals, test results) are able to be collected and transferred across huge distances. The main benefit of this kind of telemedicine is that it does not need the full focus of both the delivering and the receivers. The field tech, the caregiver or specialist can gather the required information to upload it and then leave it for a thorough examination by a different provider in the future.
There is no appointment required for this kind of platform and a variety of telemedicine platforms can be used by patients to resolve minor medical problems. Radiology, dermatology, pathology and many other special medical fields use this type of telemedicine on a regular basis. Numerous systems are available to combine this type of data into a single record for each patient. While many electronic health records are interoperable, the widespread use of telemedicine can help the industry develop better platforms that work together and communicate.
Remote monitoring
Self-monitoring, also known as self-testing or remote monitoring makes use of several technological devices and software to track the clinical and health indicators of the patient remotely. Remote monitoring of patients allows healthcare professionals to monitor their patients’ health records from a distance typically while the patient is at the home. Remote Patient Monitoring or RPM can drastically cut down the amount of time that the patient has to stay at the hospital permitting them to recover at home.
Remote monitoring for patients is especially efficient for chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. Technology that lets patients keep track of their own health conditions is in use for years however, today, crucial health information is available to healthcare professionals remotely. Modern health monitoring devices and remote monitoring applications can send the most basic medical data to physicians automatically, enabling doctors to provide more effective medical care and watch out for any early indications of problems.
Real-time Interactive Services
Interactive services are able to provide instant assistance to patients in need of medical care. There are many different ways that can be used to provide this service such as phone, video consultations as well as visits to the home. Assessing Medical history, as well as a discussion on the presenting symptoms, could be conducted, and then followed by an evaluation similar to one that is typically conducted in face-to-face appointments.
This allows you to make a doctor-patient appointment at any time and from anywhere. Live telemedicine can be described as any two-way communication (including video consultation as well as phone call consultations) which let doctors and patients interact in real-time. Evaluations of medical history as well as basic visual examinations psychosis evaluations, and even eye tests can be performed via real-time telemedicine.
Other Types of Telemedicine
Nursing Patients
Telenursing is the use of technology that communicates to provide nursing services remotely. It is possible to make consultations by phone to obtain an assessment and track the health condition and symptoms.
Because of telemedicine technology Healthcare professionals can use a variety of methods of communicating with patients from their homes. Web-based solutions, like portals for patients, permit providers to provide basic information and respond to simple questions. The more robust connections will let doctors collect data from medical equipment at home, including pacemakers, baby heart monitors, and respiratory systems. Doctors and hospitals can get build an online health application for themselves for this purpose. They can also be used to recommend health-focused educational resources, including videos and articles to patients. Patients can also connect with doctors in virtual visits, face to face at their residences.
This type of telemedicine is basically a more generalized method of telemedicine.
Telepharmacy
Telepharmacy gives advice on medications for patients when direct communication with a pharmacist isn’t feasible. It allows the medication to be monitored, and patients to receive advice by phone. Applications for this purpose are already in use and are quite successful. They not only give advice on the medication but also let you buy your medicines through their platform. This is especially helpful for patients who cannot go out to a pharmacy to buy their medicines.
Teleneuropsychology
Teleneuropsychology is a prime instance of this kind of telemedicine which involves neuropsychological consultation and evaluation by phone of patients who are believed to suffer from a cognitive disorder. Evaluation techniques that are standard are employed to examine the patient through video technology. A study conducted in 2014 revealed that this method of telemedicine can be a practical and secure alternative to traditional in-person consultations; however, it was also noted that administration and quality standards must be maintained.
Conclusion
Telemedicine is gaining popularity because of the low price and accessibility of treatments to patients, specifically for rural areas. Additionally, it has the potential to reduce the burden of patients at hospitals as it allows for the treatment of minor illnesses earlier, and patients will be able to get advice on the need for hospitalization.