Telemedicine: An increasingly sought after service
In 1970, the concept of telemedicine emerged as a solution to overcome geographical barriers with the support of new technological tools, aiming at providing easier access to healthcare for thousands of people, especially those living in rural areas and in developing countries.
A new challenge for healthcare
Nowadays, the rapid increase of an ageing population, which also struggles for easy access to medical facilities and treatment, poses a new challenge to healthcare. House calls are an ever-growing necessity for doctors, even though that could be greatly reduced if the physical barriers that separate them from their patients were removed. In addition, that would reduce waiting time for appointments and minimize downtime periods. Providing people with this type of flexibility will expedite healthcare services’ efficiency and improve access for certain groups of patients.
More and more patients are having medical consultations on telemedicine platforms. Even though online consultation should not in any case replace face-to-face consultation, large numbers of people, especially chronic patients, are using this type of service more frequently. Some doctors are beginning to perceive online platforms as a valuable alternative to complement the type of assistance and service they provide to their patients.
The advantages of telemedicine
Here are some of the advantages telemedicine has to offer to patients and doctors or other healthcare professionals:
- Time flexibility and comfort. There is more time flexibility, patients can have medical consultations without leaving their home, waiting or commuting.
- Fast response. The process of asking for an appointment, having a consultation and receiving an answer is accelerated.
- No geographical limitations. The flexibility provided by telemedicine is also relevant, as doctors can offer their services to any patient, regardless of where they live.
- Time and money saving. Online medical consultation is much more time-efficient than having a face-to-face consultation. You save time in commuting, parking or waiting for your appointment, which also means saving money.
- Privacy. Some people don’t feel comfortable discussing their habits, symptoms or personal situation, therefore an online consultation greatly facilitates this process by enabling them to feel more confident and free to express the kind of expectations they have for the medical treatment.
- Follow-up. Following up on a treatment is very easy with online healthcare. Thanks to personalized consultations, patients feel safer, calmer and more motivated.
In addition to these advantages, telemedicine also offers the possibility of medical specialty consultations. Medical specialty consultation occurs when doctors or healthcare providers find it necessary for the patient to be evaluated by a specialist, whether it be for diagnosis, treatment or rehabilitation. Nowadays, online medical specialty consultations have made it possible to significantly reduce the number of fase-to-face consultation with medical specialists.
Conclusion
At Izertis, in addition to promoting change in the healthcare sector by providing customized solutions for each client’s requirements, we have a telemedicine platform whose main objectives are to improve the quality of healthcare services with a personalized approach, provide medical or health professionals with diagnosis and therapeutic assistance, facilitate access to patients’ records and updates, choose medical specialists, remotely monitor patient’s evolution and use data analysis to increase prevention.