Does the Quality Of Care Get Compromised On Telemedicine?

 

COVID-19 has brought an unexpected and dramatic shift towards people's lives, and there has been a sudden demand for telemedicine. For those who don’t know, telemedicine is a new concept that involves using technology like the internet, smartphone, and video conferencing to provide healthcare services. It can even compete with in-person care in most cases with the right approach. But there is a slight learning curve for many healthcare experts and patients who have just started using telemedicine.

 

How to ensure the right approach to using telemedicine is a matter of concern for both patients and healthcare providers to avoid any compromise on the quality of care.

 

Types of Telemedicine Technologies

Remote Monitoring, Synchronous, and Asynchronous are three telemedicine technologies. It is essential to learn how to choose the right technology at the right time to ensure quality care.

 

First is synchronous, which is modern technology. It merely refers to 2-way, live audio/visual interaction. Generally, video interaction is better for healthcare providers as they can talk face-to-face to the patient. But it still has some limitations. For example, they cannot take blood samples online.

 

Remote monitoring can resolve a lot of problems associated with the above approach. There are specific devices patients can use at home to gather essential health data synced to the cloud, and healthcare providers can easily access them.  These devices can monitor body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and other indicators to keep patients' health in check. In some cases, remote health monitoring has been found better for many chronic health conditions than in-person treatment.

 

Asynchronous telemedicine can help fill some gaps between providers and patients. They can discuss symptoms, answer queries, schedule appointments, get prescription refills, etc. over the internet.

 

Sadly, many patients and healthcare providers still don’t have experience or technology for remote monitoring or video conferencing. Even though they have all these technologies handy, there are still some health issues that need in-person care.

 

Who should use telemedicine?

Telemedicine is mostly recommended for patients who need to know the cause of a short-term illness or severity of a sudden injury and people with underlying conditions. They can easily check-in and get telehealth services online and save their time and money accessing in-person care. Telemedicine is even better and safer than in-person care when managing chronic and ongoing conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease.

 

But the catch here is to use this approach effectively to treat and diagnose sudden health issues. You need to know which conditions you can treat remotely. For example, you visit a clinic or hospital for medical advice because of a sudden fall or injury to check if your arm is safe. As usual, you will come across a primary care doctor. They will diagnose the injury and provide basic first aid and medical advice. They may suggest you take some painkiller, put some ice on the painful area, and take some rest, if nothing seems to be broken but you have a wide bruise. If it looks fractured, they may want an x-ray.

 

The initial consultation can be done online to save your time and stress. You will leave your home only when you need an x-ray or emergency treatment.  This way, telemedicine can save some unnecessary hospital visits and ambulance rides by providing the same care for stomach pains, nausea, minor injuries, and other small health issues as in-person care.

 

But when it comes to diagnosing respiratory illness and sore throat causes, especially in this pandemic period, telemedicine is not much useful. It is also not effective obviously in emergencies like chest pain, severe bleeding, or troubled breathing.

 

The Takeaway

Telemedicine is an instrumental technology when used the right way and in the right circumstances. But one must also consider the burden and risk associated with getting treatment. Getting in-person care every time is risky nowadays. If you feel that you are having any chronic medical condition or heart attack, you must immediately go to the hospital. But there is no point in getting in-person consultation for treating any small problem like acne.

 

You should also consider the wait times, commute, taking a day off, and other inconveniences associated with in-person care, especially when you need prescription refills for existing treatment. But you have to take this burden when the doctor calls you for blood sampling to ensure that the medicine is still working. 

 

It is evident that telemedicine cannot treat all medical conditions. But it is still useful in many cases as compared to in-person care. As we need to address other issues in the COVID-19 era, consider the right option and ask about the services available from your telehealthcare providers, your preferences, and your risks.