6 TeleHealth Features to Improve Patient Care
Telehealth enables doctors and patients to interact remotely, using videoconferencing, live streaming, and applications such as chat and messaging to connect from various points. The use of telehealth reduces the need for face-to-face meetings, which can save both money and time. Telehealth tech is essential for today’s patients as it those who may not be able to easily travel to see their primary care doctor due to their location or health concerns.
Benefits of Telehealth
Thanks to constant improvements in technology, the medical industry is experiencing major changes in the ways healthcare professionals communicate with each other and treat patients. Telehealth or the practice of providing medical care and advice to people remotely via video chat, phone, or other digital mediums is taking off like never before. Read on to learn about six important features of telehealth to improve patient care and reduce costs.
1. Digital Access
When medical facilities and hospitals are slow to get a patient’s records to physicians, it wastes time. The digital immediate access feature of telehealth allows doctors to tap into patient data as soon as they are online. With applications and other tech, patients can give doctors immediate access to their medical information and vitals, allowing medical professionals to review that information as they decide on treatment. With telehealth, patients can also research online health insurance quotes to determine their eligibility before seeing a doctor virtually.
2. Online Scheduling
Flexibility is one of the biggest benefits when it comes to telehealth. Once a patient sets up online scheduling, doctors can be as flexible or regimented as their patients need. It’s easy to accommodate patients at any time of the day with a virtual office and virtual doctors and nurses. With telehealth, patients can also change their own appointments.
3. Comprehensive Nutrition Evaluation
Telehealth allows patients to address their nutrition concerns virtually. With comprehensive nutrition evaluation, doctors can review a patient’s detailed health history and perform a physical exam remotely to assess a patient’s overall nutritional status. From there, a dietitian can also perform lab tests and take dietary history.
With the best telehealth tech, doctors use virtual consultations to address your specific concerns based on a patient’s location and schedule. With these details, they can determine their plan of action more effectively and tailor treatments accordingly.
4. In-Home Screenings
There are certain situations where an in-home health screening is ideal. Whether doctors are providing care to a parent or child, it’s sometimes easier and more affordable to conduct an in-home health screen than to bring a patient into a clinic or other clinical environment. In-home screenings provide privacy, comfort, and control over time spent during what may be a difficult process. With many telehealth services, healthcare providers can even use apps like Skype to perform their examinations from a home office or any location with Wi-Fi access.
5. Emergency or Preventative Care
The rise of telehealth is allowing healthcare providers to reach out to more people and get them to help in times of need. This can be particularly beneficial in emergencies, but it also helps with preventative care. If you experience symptoms that may indicate a more serious health problem (such as intense chest pain or high fever), it’s crucial to have easy access to medical help. You might even be able to schedule a video chat from home so you don’t even have to leave the bed when feeling ill.
6. Medication Reminders
All too often, patients forget to take their meds, either because they don’t remember or don’t want to bother with it. Technology can help keep them on track by alerting patients when it’s time to take their medication and then reminding them to do so. Telehealth also reminds patients to fill their prescriptions as well. Once patients activate the automatic refill reminders within the telehealth app, they’ll be able to easily stay on track with their prescriptions.
Telehealth simply means using technology to provide healthcare services at a distance. With the rise of remote meetings and appointments, this type of technology is an innovative step forward for the medical industry. With video chats, health care providers can monitor patients’ symptoms in real-time, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their care from the comfort of their own homes.
