The Rise of Telemedicine and its Application to Healthcare

Introduction

Telemedicine combines telecommunication and electronic information into healthcare. Examples of telemedicine are "online patient consultations, remote control, telehealth nursing, and remote physical and psychiatry rehabilitation." Among the many benefits of telemedicine are more optimized care decisions, quicker diagnosis, enhanced service quality (e.g. in emergency services), and reduced travel costs. Telemedicine brought high quality healthcare to more hands, allowing doctors to handle more patients efficiently, affecting many fields. In this blog, I will talk about 3 healthcare areas where telemedicine is applied: tele dentistry, digital health monitoring, and skincare.

Tele dentistry

Telemedicine allows easier dentist access to photographs of teeth and dentistry equipment such as dentures. Easier access to photographs allows dentists to evaluate treatment options, for example the necessity of a treatment. Dental specialists can also give advice to patients regarding their current treatment, so patients can avoid more intricate and costly treatments. The connection between telemedicine and dentistry increases access to dental care in areas where dental offices are scarce.

Digital health monitoring

Telemedicine integrates with joint artificial intelligence-machine learning digital monitoring, increasing diagnosis accuracy and optimizing treatment suggestions. Video meetings in conjunction with machine learning can improve artificial intelligence algorithms unique to each patient, which can improve accuracy of diagnosis and treatment options. Networking devices connects practitioners and patients in different locations, offering an alternative to in-person meetings and promoting treatment and diagnosis safety from disease.

Skincare

Telemedicine expands communication options with dermatologists through smartphones, tablets, and computers. These technologies allow high resolution photographs to be sent to dermatologists for evaluation of psoriasis, bedsores, eczema, and other skin conditions. Therefore, those bound to their home could easily update their condition to their dermatologist. Telemedicine also can assist practitioner communication with their patient. This means that dermatologists can diagnose and treat more patients, which include those bound to their home.

Conclusion

The future holds many opportunities for telemedicine to integrate with healthcare. Overall, telemedicine's benefits find its way into many healthcare fields like tele dentistry, digital health monitoring, and skincare. By increasing accessibility and streamlining patient-practitioner communication, telemedicine will likely make a significant impact as it continues to improve itself (Haleem et al., 2021).

References

[A laptop screen showing a doctor holding a stethoscope]. (n.d.). WallpaperAccess.      https://wallpaperaccess.com/telehealth#google_vignette

Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2021). Telemedicine for healthcare: Capabilities, features, barriers, and applications. Sensors international, 2, 100117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sintl.2021.100117