Schedules these days are jampacked with appointments and meetings, leaving no space to breathe let alone going for minor discomfort and have it diagnosed. It is a continuous work cycle, it is quite often such minor details escapes the individual until it becomes something of noticeable concern. To counter and save time at the same time, Telehealth has established itself as a great aid in these times of need.
Telehealth is about the transmission of still images, patient consultations through video conferencing, patient portals, remote control and monitoring of vital signs, continuing medical education, patient-focused wireless applications and nursing call centers and many other applications. Oft times called a mHealth due to its major application transmitting via mobile devices. These and other mobile devices can be leveraged to promote better health outcomes and increased access to care. mHealth or mobile health is the healthcare applications and programs patients use on their smartphones, tablets, or laptops.
Clinicians are winning distance and providing access to patients who are not able to travel to appointments by utilizing real-time video communication platforms. This gives the doctors a clear idea of what the patient is going without having the person in the clinics or hospitals. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) involves the reporting, collection, transmission, and evaluation of patient health data through electronic devices such as wearables, mobile devices, smartphone apps, and internet-enabled computers. This data is then uploaded to the doctors for observation and they can derive systematic therapy for the patients. Monitoring devices are being used to collect and transfer vital sign data including blood pressures, cardiac stats, oxygen levels, and respiratory rates.
There are numerous benefits to increasing the use of telehealth or mHealth to meet the demand for health care. The convenience of care increased access, improved worker productivity by avoiding travel to appointments, decreased costs, and clinicians and patients both saving time.