What is Telehealth and Why is it Great for You?
The next stage for healthcare is to decentralize. What does this mean? Essentially, it means instead of having the bulk of healthcare services only available in dense cities (and even then, in specific neighborhoods) healthcare needs to be more universally available for all. This means those living in rural and low-income communities will have access to the essential health services they need without having to travel hours upon hours to get treatment or even to see a doctor.
While specialists are always going to be rare, everyday checkups don’t have to take hours to get to, not with telehealth.
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is healthcare offered through technology. At the very first stage of telehealth, patients will be able to call their doctor over video to talk about their condition and health, like nhsgp.net currently offers. This is great for those who need advice and referrals, since it can save time and the cost of transportation.
The potential for telehealth, however, doesn’t stop there. Wearable health technology is already on the market. Many have watches that track their heart rate and sleep cycle, for example. In the future, more advanced testing and diagnostic tools will be available in the home, particularly for those with chronic conditions. Those with said chronic condition, for example, would be able to take a reading themselves and have that information uploaded to their doctor. If there’s an issue or results aren’t within set parameters, the system can then notify the doctor and an appointment can be arranged.
This is just one example. Overall, telehealth, once fully realized, will give more patients their independence while maintaining full peace-of-mind. As technology advances, it could even be used to catch early on-set symptoms of conditions.
What are the Issues with Telehealth?
The biggest issues currently facing telehealth today are security and connection. Thankfully, the pandemic has ushered through a demand for telehealth services, and with that demand more investment in security and app development. As for connection, 5G and satellite internet are becoming more mainstream, allowing those even in rural areas stronger, faster internet connection wherever they are.
Why is Telehealth the Right Choice for Me?
Telehealth is, at the end of the day, an extension of healthcare services. If you have ever had to take a day off work to go to your doctor just to ask a few questions, then telehealth is for you. If you want advice, or a referral, and don’t want to spend hours driving to get a simple service set up, then telehealth is for you. If you require mental health services, a video-format can give you full results from the comfort of your own home. In the future, telehealth will become an integral feature in all our lives, and actually help save lives by making it easy to monitor your condition or even test for early symptoms of diseases like cancer.
In short, telehealth gives greater access to healthcare for all. Not only can you better integrate healthcare into your routine, you can even save if you previously spent over an hour getting to your doctor’s office. Add onto that the peace of mind you’ll enjoy of having medical professionals at the tips of your fingers, and it’s easy to see that telehealth will become the primary point of contact for most patients moving forward.
