Category Archives: Telemedicine

While telemedicine can grow dramatically over the next decade and help healthcare professionals, it still offers specific technical and practical challenges. For a long time, telemedicine has been centered on technology.
Furthermore, combining various technologies may result in massive data flows that are neither useful nor easy to manage (e.g., continuous monitoring of temperature and blood pressure) Certain constraints may impede the adoption, deployment, and scaling up of telemedicine and related technologies. It will take considerable training to guarantee that patients are comfortable with video teleconsultations and the usage of assistive technologies. Additionally, physicians require subspecialty-specific technological, clinical, and communication training. Moreover, access to broadband and Internet facilities is a significant barrier to telemedicine deployment in rural and under-resourced settings.

Telehealth requires stable broadband access, which is not always feasible for remote clinics and patients. When telemedicine technology is used, legal limits and a lack of clarity about what is permissible are possible, and these restrictions encourage telemedicine providers to exercise prudence. Certain conditions are not covered under health system legislation.

When adopting technologies and procedures to close gaps in the healthcare system, it is critical to question whether the gaps exist and establish the standards and goals of care and iterate toward these standards and ideals. Telemedical consultations fall short of the fidelity that an in-person physical exam provides in physical examinations, body language, verbal intonation, and scents. The commitment of the technology used in telemedical consultations must be constantly improved to achieve the same level of fidelity and information as an in-person visit.

The healthcare system in the United States is notoriously complex and multifaceted. While the U.S. boasts cutting-edge medical technology and many of the world’s best and brightest physicians and professionals, access to these scientific advances and life-saving resources remains firmly behind a stratified paywall.

At this point, the average American lives paycheck to paycheck and would not afford an emergency expense, including an unforeseen medical cost. Millions of Americans are uninsured or underinsured, and even those who do receive significant coverage often struggle to afford medications, specialists, even routine appointments.

This alone would be enough to create a crisis, but this lack of access is compounded by existing inequality. In other words, those who are already marginalized and socially disadvantaged are hit the hardest by this lack of access.
There has been an ongoing national debate about addressing the various aspects of the U.S. healthcare system, which have been the most inefficient and harmful. While there is, of course, hope to be found in that discourse, the on-the-ground emergency nonetheless persists. Thus, more immediately implementable means of closing the access gap are being continually explored. One such means, which has exploded in use throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, is the use of Telehealth, or virtual care.

Telehealth is not perfect, and it does not come without barriers in its own right. For example, low-income individuals who do not own a computer or laptop may not find Telehealth a viable alternative to in-person appointments. Older adults who aren’t comfortable navigating computer and webcam use may also struggle.

That considered, however, for a significant number of individuals, Telehealth tangibly closes the access gap. Those who live in rural areas, which may or may not even have a local physician, typically find virtual care extremely helpful, even life-saving. The same can be said for those living with disabilities, particularly disabilities, which would make an in-person commute difficult. Overall, Telehealth is less costly and less confined to the 9-to-5 schedule, increasing patients’ ability to utilize services.

Healthcare is essential. All forms of care—emergency, long-term, preventative, and more—all play a role in public health: healing and helping people, saving and improving lives. Increasing healthcare accessibility is an issue of both social welfare and public health. The sooner it is addressed, all Americans will receive the healthcare they deserve regardless of socioeconomic status.

The increasingly widespread use of virtual care may not be a comprehensive, one-and-done solution for closing the access gap; however, it is a means of tangibly chipping away at it, changing healthcare—and lives—in the process.

During the pandemic, telephone and video medical visits became the norm for many providers. A recent study in The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that New York State safety net providers had positive experiences using telehealth with their patients during the past year. However, the researchers noted that although remote visits made it easier for patients to complete appointments, it also exposed the lack of access at-need populations they serve have to the technology necessary for telemedicine visits.

Why it’s important

The providers surveyed in the study found the telemedicine visits to be as effective as in-person visits and had the added benefit of reducing no-shows. It also made attending appointments for vulnerable populations and those with busy schedules easier and more accessible.

Of course, not all appointments could be conducted virtually. Patients requiring vaccinations needed in-person care, and certain types of appointments, such as well-child visits, were less effective when provided remotely. It was also difficult for some patients to use the technical tools necessary to attend telemedicine visits.

The providers surveyed did have suggestions for improving telehealth visits that could help to alleviate some of these pain points. They suggested developing more user-friendly platforms, providing funding for organizations to make the adjustments needed for telemedicine, and working towards universal broadband and enhanced Wifi capabilities.

Other current studies

The rise of telehealth during the pandemic has provided researchers with a plethora of information about telemedicine’s benefits and drawbacks. A study from the University of Missouri looked at how the rapid increase in telemedicine affected nursing home residents. They found that while it increased access to services, it led to increased social isolation.

Future Studies

The researchers suggest that future research should focus on supporting communication between providers and patients. They also propose assessing the type of care preferred by both providers and patients to determine the best method of care to provide.