Why Use Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is defined as using medical information that has been sent via electronic means from a site, or clinic, or hospital, to another. This is done in order to improve care standards for patients. Over the past few years the number of telemedicine applications has grown rapidly and now includes closed-circuit two-way video, wireless tools, and even smartphones.

There are a number of very good reasons why medical professionals want to use telemedicine as part of their practice, and why you as a patient, should be receptive of this new technology as well. Here are some of the reasons why.

Some patients today may have trouble making the trek from the various clinics, doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other places where they have received medical care. Telemedicine helps in these situations and ensures caregivers have up to date information.

Telemedicine can also go a long way in reducing the cost of patient care. By using video conferencing and other technology, the overhead costs associated with an office visit are greatly reduced. Telemedicine is also becoming the preferred method for administering preventive medicine, and it is also useful in helping to manage some chronic medical conditions.

Telemedicine is also the very best tool that is available today for monitoring the condition of patients who have been discharged. It is also very valuable in fostering effective communications between a doctor and a patient, once again, eliminating the need for office visits that cost both the patient and the medical practice.

It has been well documented in the past few years that telemedicine helps in reducing hospital readmissions, and helps patients be more diligent in following their prescribed treatments. This goes a long way in helping them to recover from their conditions in a more timely manner, and live a healthier and happier life.

With telemedicine, several hospitals have successfully created support networks in order to provide better care for their patients. If a general practitioner needs the help of a specialist for a given procedure, they can use telemedicine technology to communicate with the specialist, and get the desired results without the specialist being there in person, greatly reducing costs. It can even save the life of a patient, and this has been documented in more than one case.

Telemedicine allows for the sharing of medical expertise across all kinds of boundaries, offering great value to the medical profession, and patient as well.

These are just a few of the reasons why telemedicine is useful to both patients and the medical community. This technology is only going to grow in the future, and it can easily be said that this IS the future of medical care. In this day and age where everyone is looking to lower the costs of medical care, telemedicine is a shining light that is showing the way, while not lowering the quality of care.

One thing is for certain, telemedicine is a field that is going to continue to grow and be used more and more to provide the best in low-cost care. It does not matter what kind of health issue you have, telemedicine always has the answer for you. So without much ado, get to know more about it and enjoy the benefits.