Positive Effects Of Telemedicine

In a world full of technology users, telemedicine is beginning to make a large impact on those who live in rural areas as well as urban areas. More than 15 million Americans received some kind of medical care via telemedicine. (Beck, 2016). Telemedicine is best defined as diagnosis and treatment of a patient via web, telephone, email, and webcam used by physicians (Chiron Health). Many physicians and health providers are navigating towards electronic communications in order to help patients make decisions based on the symptoms given to identify whether the patient is having a heart attack or stroke. Patients are also using different devices in order to keep track of their blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs to manage their chronic
health. Telemedicine has made a large impact to provide better care to those who live in locations that are harder to get the proper medical care. Telemedicine allows patients to reach out to doctors or nurses in regards to emergencies or with questions, telemedicine also gives physicians the ability to communicate to each other in regards to patient health.
“In the TeleICU section, critical-care doctors sit at oversize video monitors that continually collect data on every far-flung ICU patient and can spot signs of trouble. If a patient needs help or attention, their physicians can zoom in and view information or signal for a nurse to come in and help the patient.” (Beck, 2016). This can make a large impact on many hospitals especially those who cannot staff enough based on how many patients they have. Over the years, there has been a 35% decrease in patients average length of stay and 30% less deaths than anticipated due to telemedicine. Although there are many positive attributes to telemedicine and the influence that it creates onto patients and those in the health care community, there are also some negative ones as well. One challenge is the quality of service that the patient receives via telemedicine. Critics believe that such services may be sacrificing quality for convenience
such as physicians never having the same patients, upper respiratory is not checked as often which can cause health issues later in the future, and skin problems are not checked as often or they are misdiagnosed. This can be a large problem especially when it pertains to the patient's health, thus, many companies are creating guidelines to better assess what they can evaluate medically. Another challenge is what does insurance cover and how do physicians get paid? There are some states that passed the law stating that private insurers reimburse doctors for the services provided via the web but where the problems begin is where different insurances stand in regards to what they cover as well as how caught up they are to the changes in health care. Even then, many insurers pay the doctors based on when the patient gets there and when the leave. Therefore, making it challenging when it is via the web. There are many telemedicine websites that allow the physician and patient to remain anonymous which can add to the lack of patient-physician relationship. Not having any information about the patient can make diagnosis challenging especially in relation to knowing what other health issues one may have or in regards to what medicine the patient could be allergic too. Trust also plays a large factor into how the patient receives the information the doctor gives. Consequently, for some of the websites, some do not need a license in order to be on the website. Those who are physicians will not get paid as much as they do if patients visit their office especially because most telemedicine websites are cheaper to get a test done than is they went in and paid the appointment and the test combined. As generations get older and technology becomes more adaptable to all ages, telemedicine will continue to make an impact on patients and physicians.
For those who live in rural areas and countries, telemedicine allows them to maintain their health and be able to ask questions if there are any concerns. Although there are still many different challenges that need to be met, telemedicine will continue to influence patients and physicians. Visiting physicians at their offices will not dwindle away with the uplifting of telemedicine. Many patients like to have the physician-patient relationship, therefore, if health care providers can identify ways to implement the relationship between patients and physicians including ways to conduct respiratory checks every so often, and skin checks. Although these medical conditions will be very difficult to identify and measure via the web, phone, or webcam, being creative some providers may find a way. Even if it includes a doctor visit every other telemedicine appointment. Having a physician that one can communicate to via the web and one that you have doctor visits with, they can communicate based on their patient together. Telemedicine will make it easier for people to maintain their health, stay out of the hospital, and save
money.