With the continuing global fight against coronavirus, it has been considered challenging to set an appointment with doctors, let alone, take a trip to the hospital yourself. As the public health crisis on COVID-19 persists, we are necessarily encouraged to limit our contact and exposure outside our very homes.
However, there are certain activities that still require immediate attention especially if it concerns our health such as going to clinics or laboratories to undergo medical testing for diagnosis or monitoring of other existing or probable medical conditions such as diabetes, hormonal imbalances, chronic diseases, etc.
Torn between safety from coronavirus and the potential aggravation of a clinical condition, people turn to telemedicine, a remote practice of health-related care and services.
What is Telemedicine?
Telemedicine, for many years, has revolutionized the field of healthcare services. It secured extended healthcare management and has significantly increased patient satisfaction. Telemedicine is an integral subset of Telehealth which generally applies telecommunication and other advanced technologies in expanding the concept of healthcare.
Some of the services delivered via telemedicine are at-home testing kits and home-use medical devices and round the clock remote medical consultation and monitoring via video chats, software solutions, or company-specific apps. Some services are extended to hospitalization and healthcare plans and insurances.
Benefits of Telemedicine
Now more than ever, we witness the evident marketable value of telemedicine as it continuously surpasses the barriers between healthcare services brought by distance and the necessary contact limitations. Gone are the days where only those who are living in major cities get the most medical treatment. Telemedicine offers a multitude of healthcare delivery that anyone can avail without the unnecessary hustles of travelling for both the patient and the physician.
Specifically, you can take advantage of the following benefits of telemedicine:
1. Accessible Quality Patient Care
The traditional face-to-face consultation with a physician was not completely accessible and convenient for everyone. With telemedicine, those who cannot physically go to clinics or hospitals for a thorough medical check-up, specifically those who are incapacitated or those who simply cannot find the time to do so, are attended with extended follow-ups. Patient care is maximized and regular monitoring is provided.
2. Guaranteed Patient Protection and Confidentiality
Since the patient is not exposed to a public location to acquire medical care, the identity and medical records of the patient becomes even more restricted between those who are providing the services. This is psychologically necessary especially for patients with diseases that are highly stigmatized by the public such as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Furthermore, the patient’s safety and reduced anxiety can greatly contribute to their convalescence.
3. Lower healthcare service expenses
Studies have shown that there has been a significant reduction in costs of healthcare services through telemedicine in about 11% savings according to the American Hospital Association. This can easily be linked to the reduced expenses brought by unnecessary commutes, limited face-to-face check-ups, and trips to the emergency room.
4. Convenient and Quality Specialist Access
Most companies offering telemedicine provide a 100% commitment towards the client’s healing and recovery. When the need arises, companies will outsource or directly refer patients to a specialist to get the maximum care they need. Patients need not worry about finding a specific physician since it will be arranged by the healthcare provider.
5. Improved follow-up care
The relationship between the patient and physician should continue even after recovery to properly track their medical condition and other further complications that could occur afterwards. Telemedicine, through the use of video, chat, or even conferencing apps offer 24/7 access to on-call doctors that could quickly attend to medical emergencies or consultation. Likewise, long-term healthcare goals through customized healthcare plans allow patients to stick to their appointments and consultation schedules.
More than an Alternative
The primary goal of establishing telemedicine more than 50 years ago was not to replace the conventional medical services but to enhance and improve their delivery.
Nowadays, telemedicine has finally been placed in the spotlight and given the credit, it deserves as people are evidently seeking healthcare services without going out of their houses. Hence, telemedicine providers like Synergy Health Advisors do not simply warrant the availability of remote health care services, they also deliver the peace of mind that people with persisting or developing medical issues need.
Take Full Responsibility of Your Health
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an epiphany to the majority of the population today as public health supersedes other national concerns such as the economy. It should serve as an eye-opener that we have to put the highest value possible for our health.
Telemedicine has eliminated the common barriers we face when seeking healthcare services. All we have to do is take full advantage of it. Schedule your free COVID-19 Telehealth screening today (At-Home Medically Supervised Testing Available in NJ).
