You’ve heard many times that the internet has changed modern life. It has changed how you communicate with your family and friends, buy goods and services, and search for information about your health.
Telehealth tools can help you manage your healthcare and get your needed services. Do you know how to take advantage of them?
What is telehealth? Telehealth is using digital information and communication technologies, such as computers and mobile devices, to access health care services remotely and manage your health care. These technologies could be ones you use at home or those your doctor uses to support or improve health care services.
For example, telehealth can help people with diabetes. These are just a few of the possibilities.
You can upload food logs, medication, dosing, and blood sugar levels to a mobile device or another device for review by an electronic nurse.
You can watch a video about carbohydrate counting and then download an app to your smartphone.
An app can help you estimate how much insulin you will need based on your exercise and diet.
You can view your test results online, make appointments, request refills, or email your doctor.
Online ordering of testing supplies and medication.
Instead of scheduling an appointment with a specialist, get a mobile retinal screening at your doctor’s office.
You can get email, text, or phone reminders for when you have a flu shot or foot exam, or any other preventive care.
Telehealth, also known as e-health and m-health (mobile healthcare), has the following goals:
Access health care to rural and isolated residents
Facilitate services for those with limited mobility, time, or transport options.
Access to specialists in medicine
Increase communication between a patient and members of a healthcare team.
Support self-management of your health care.
Patient Portal
An online portal may be available to patients at your primary care clinic. These portals can be used as an alternative to email, which is generally not secure for communicating private medical information. This portal offers a safer online way to accomplish the following:
Talk to your doctor or nurse.
Refill prescriptions.
Examine test results and summarize previous visits.
Request reminders or schedule appointments.
The portal may also be helpful if your doctor is part of a more extensive healthcare system.
Virtual appointments
Some clinics offer virtual appointments that allow you to visit your doctor or nurse online via videoconferencing. These appointments will enable you to continue receiving care from your regular doctor, even if an in-person visit is unnecessary.
You can also make virtual visits online with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or another healthcare professional. These services are usually for minor ailments like those offered at a drop-in clinic. Some large corporations offer virtual doctors’ offices as part of their healthcare services.
You will be guided through a series of questions when you log in to web-based services. A doctor or nurse practitioner may prescribe medication, recommend home care strategies, or provide additional medical care.
A nursing call center employs nurses who answer questions in a similar format. They can also provide advice on home care. The nursing call center does not diagnose or prescribe medication.
These services can be convenient, but they also have their drawbacks.
Your regular doctor may need to coordinate your treatment.
It is possible that essential information about your medical history will not be considered.
If you have a complex medical history, the computer-driven decision-making model might not be ideal.
Virtual visits do not include an in-person evaluation. This could hinder accurate diagnosis.
This service does not allow for shared decision-making between doctors and patients about treatments or the creation of a plan B in case one treatment fails.
Remote Monitoring
Many technologies allow your doctor or team of healthcare professionals to monitor your health remotely. These technologies include:
Mobile apps or web-based apps allow you to upload information such as blood glucose readings to your doctor.
It is wirelessly transmitting information wirelessly from devices that measure blood pressure, blood glucose, and lung function.
Wearable devices that record and transmit data automatically, such as heart rate or blood glucose, gait, gait, posture control, tremors, or physical activity, can be used to monitor your heart rate.
They are monitoring devices that can be used to monitor the home for seniors or dementia patients. They detect any changes in normal activities, such as falls.
Doctors were talking with doctors
Technology can be used by doctors to improve patient care. A virtual consultation is one example of technology that allows primary care physicians to consult specialists when they have any questions about your treatment or diagnosis.
For the specialist’s review, the primary care doctor will send exam notes, history, and test results to the specialist. The specialist can respond electronically, schedule a meeting with you at the doctor’s office or request a face-to-face meeting.
These virtual consultations can be used to avoid unnecessary visits to specialists, shorten wait times and reduce travel.
Personal Health Records
A personal health record system, also known as a PHR system, is an electronic system that stores and manages information about your health. Access to a PHR app can be done from any web-enabled device such as a smartphone, computer, tablet, or laptop.
A personal health record is a quick way to provide vital information such as your current diagnosis, medication, allergies, and the contact information of your doctor in an emergency.
Personal Health Apps
Many apps are available to help patients organize their medical information in one place. These digital tools could be of assistance to you:
Keep your personal health information safe.
Keep track of vital signs.
Calculate and track your caloric intake.
Set reminders to remind you when it is time to take your medicine.
Keep track of your physical activity, such as your daily steps.
Telehealth
The potential for technology to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare is huge. Telehealth could offer opportunities for health care to be more efficient, better coordinated, and closer to patients.
Although telehealth research is still in its infancy, it is growing. A 2016 review of studies showed that both telephone-based support as well as telemonitoring vital signs of patients with heart disease resulted in a reduction in the likelihood of death or hospitalization and an improvement in quality of life.
Limitations of telehealth
Telehealth offers the potential to provide better coordination of care, but it can also lead to fragmentation in health care. Fragmented care can lead to inefficient or unneeded care, gaps in care, unnecessary medication use, and overuse of medicine.
Other factors, such as your ability to pay for them, may limit the potential benefits of telehealth services. Telehealth insurance reimbursements vary by state and type. Some people may need access to the best care due to limited internet access or the high cost of mobile devices.