Tag Archives: telehealth

As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic emergence has resulted in mandatory social distancing. Additionally, the international and national measures placed to control the pandemic spread have led to an increased need for safer ways to deal with the fast-spreading pandemic. Due to the increased use and development of telemedicine in the health field, the technology has proved to be the safest interactive way between patients, uninfected and infected, and health workers.

How is the use of telemedicine help those suffering from COVID-19?

Provision of continued access to necessary health services

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its nature of transmission has resulted in social distancing and isolation strategies as control measures for its spread. However, telemedicine technology has allowed COVID-19 patients limited access to required health services at the time necessary through remote care services. Due to this, most patients suffering from various symptoms were denied immediate access to essential health services.

Additionally, the health workers can offer remote care services to their COVID-19 patients without fearing contracting the coronavirus through virtual care. Moreover, the health worker suffering from mild COVID-19 symptoms can also attend to the patient without physically meeting the patient.

Telemedicine has helped free up medical staff and equipment for severe illness cases.

Telemedicine technology allows virtual care for the very regular, essential medicare and yearly checkup. So, the available medical staff can serve more patients through online appointments from different localities in the minimal time possible.

Virtual care also helps create more spaces for medical staff and equipment for those seriously ill from the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, freeing up eliminates physical meeting and call for isolation, reducing the risk of acquiring the COVID-19 pandemic through remote care services.

Telemedicine has reduced morbidity and mortality during pandemics.

Due to the quick spread of the COVID-19 virus, the health workers deployed for COVID-19 containment are at high risk and greater susceptibility to getting infected. If this happens, the available medical workforce can decrease.

Additionally, if the health worker gets infected, the illness can spread to the patients receiving services from this medical worker. The patient can be susceptible to the extent of death. However, through the technological advancement in the health field, telemedicine, a wiser health care delivery approach, will help eliminate and reduce regular visits to health care facilities, reducing the exposure of providers and uninfected patients.

Bottom Line

Having read the above article, you have realized that telemedicine is crucial to continued access to the necessary health care services during the COVID-19 outbreak. Proper use of telemedicine allows for appropriate social and medical distancing with timely access to remote care. Therefore, telemedicine can help control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic between people and their health providers.

Teletherapy is a common term for getting mental health treatment via a video conference call. Whether at home, in the office, or anywhere else where you can access the internet, teletherapy allows you to get real-time help from a licensed professional specializing in treating specific problems like behavioral issues, anxiety, and depression. The treatment often uses the same methods as face-to-face therapy but in a format where you can connect with your therapist no matter where they are located.

How Does Teletherapy Work?

Teletherapy can be used to treat individuals with anxiety disorders, depression, and other mental health issues. It can also be used as a treatment for substance abuse, eating disorders, and many other conditions that require ongoing support and guidance.

For patients who have not been able to find relief from their symptoms through traditional therapy or medication, teletherapy offers an alternative way of getting the help they need. In addition, the online nature of the sessions means they are accessible whenever it’s convenient —without having to travel long distances or make appointments around work schedules.

Who Should Consider Teletherapy?

Teletherapy is an excellent option for anyone who needs therapy but can’t get to a therapist. It can also be used as a supplement to in-person treatment, particularly for people living far away from their therapist or who don’t have access to transportation.

Additionally, teletherapy is helpful for people who need a therapist but don’t have the right insurance coverage and may not be eligible for free counseling services like those provided by community centers or hospitals.

Teletherapy Is a Proven, Effective Way To Get Treatment

Teletherapy allows you to connect with your therapist anywhere in the world via video chat or phone call. You’ll still have all the benefits of traditional therapy—including the opportunity to discuss problems and receive emotional support—all while still being able to live your life outside of therapy sessions.

It’s now convenient more than ever to receive medical attention with recent technological advancements. In the comfort of your home, you can use telehealth to access a healthcare provider. It is a more convenient way to access medicare without traveling or risk your health getting worse. Telehealth also provides the safest way to get treatment while protecting yourself from the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Can You Use Telehealth?

The service is dedicated to increasing convenience in healthcare delivery. Therefore, if you have questions about your medication, feel free to use the service. The service also comes in handy when you notice new side effects or new symptoms crop up. You can also use telehealth for regular follow-ups and refills on your medicine. So you don’t have to come down to the hospital. Save yourself the hassle.

However, you have to see medical personnel if you experience life-threatening symptoms physically. You will also need to do the same if your medical personnel needs to run other tests on you. Physical evaluation requires the assessment of vital signs and physical contact, which is not possible via telehealth.

Preparing for a Telehealth Visit for Allergies

First, get in touch with an allergy provider offering telehealth. Once you have selected your allergy provider, you will need to set up an appointment. At this point, your provider will instruct you on the necessary gadgets and software for telehealth visits. Once you have set up a good internet connection, you are ready for your first visit.

To make sure your telehealth visits go smoothly, you may set up your communication before the set time. Prepare the questions you have for your doctor beforehand. Other things you might do before the telehealth visit is to quiet down your surrounding for better communication and dress according to allow easy assessment. For example, you may wear clothes that allow you to show your skin rash to your immunologist.

Telehealth uses digital information and communication technologies to access health care services and manage your health care remotely. This is through computers and smartphones to access technological platforms like video conferencing. The platforms enable the doctor to schedule meetings and consultations with the patient.

Asthma is a respiratory condition that causes inflammation in your airwaves and narrows them, causing mucus production. This causes breathing difficulties which may lead to frequent asthma attacks.

Managing this condition requires constant health care, consultations with the doctors, and routine checkups. The use of telehealth in asthma treatment is convenient and saves time. The recent Covid-19 outbreak also strengthened the use of telehealth as a mitigation measure to reduce physical contact. This resulted in embracing the use of technology in communication.

In this case, there are two types of telehealth; telemonitoring and Telemanagement. The two have been most beneficial in asthma treatment. Telemonitoring involves transmitting data such as vital signs and treatment documentation that bears information tracking current symptoms and adherence to treatment. Telemanagement involves a virtual consultation with your doctor; in this process, they assess how the medication is fairing and identify possible gaps that need to be corrected.

Health professionals use various platforms to facilitate telehealth. These platforms may include applications, software, or video conferencing facilities like google meet or zoom.

Advantages of Using Telehealth for Asthma

• Health professionals are more accessible. It is convenient for routine follow-up appointments, refill of prescriptions, questions about inhalers or medication, and increased asthma symptoms.
• It lowers the cost of services offered.
• It reduces time travel.
• Has reduced Covid-19 infections in people with asthma, considering the virus affects people with underlying conditions.

The provision of telehealth has come in to help and advance how people access healthcare. Telehealth has shown effectiveness in asthma treatment. This is achieved with the cooperation of the patient and the health professionals. The process has also demonstrated the ability to have access to medical care easily.

The purpose of the research was to understand, evaluate and analyze the modalities used for spine care patients. Telehealth was a primary element of spine care access. It has a successful history of improving patients’ safety, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency. Researchers carried out studies and surveys with patients who got their spine care via telehealth.

Between February and September 2020, researchers used the clinical registry procedure to identify spine patients found remotely at the academic medical tertiary center. This discovery was then published on an online spine care survey where patients were asked about their telemedicine experiences. The doctor that made this discovery ran a statistical analysis and thematic analysis on the Likert scale on a free-form response.

After which, the sociodemographic data was later abstracted and evaluated. The researcher reviewed the questionnaire of about 140 patients who had physical spine care appointments and telemedicine. Patients with medium and low area deprivation missed the physical spine care appointments. This shows that spine care patients rated their telemedicine experience highly.

What is Area Deprivation Index (ADI)?

An area deprivation index (ADI) is a unit used to measure the multi-dimensional status of the socio-economic region, which is linked to a health outcome. In this case, researchers use a patent’s ADI address to determine the area in which they reside.

Researchers found out that 42 percent of spine patients with low or medium socioeconomic status are also likely to miss a physical appointment compared to patients with high socioeconomic status. The total ratio of missed telehealth scheduled appointments is identical across all socioeconomic statuses.

However, telemedicine continues to be a popular method for care access delivery across America. In regions with mental health-related issues, hypertension, acute respiratory diseases, and joint and soft tissue diseases were all virtually treated, increasing telehealth visits.

Patients now understand the medical and health advantages while reflecting on how effective it is compared to a physical doctor’s appointment. This research analysis would help influence future practices and improve easy access to doctors’ and patients’ satisfaction.