Telehealth services benefit patients and doctors alongside. This article explores the advantages of telemedicine for both medical professionals and their patients. Keep reading below to find out more!
“I have an online appointment with my doctor.” This is a normal thing to say in 2021. Telehealth, also known as telemedicine, is a relatively new concept, but it is gaining momentum these days.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has become a new norm for getting medical support and assistance. Considering the pandemic and all its effects, including lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures, our entire world has changed, moving critical activities online. People went online to work, study, sell or buy, and access or offer medical services. This is how telehealth solutions took center stage.
Telemedicine is the updated and virtual cousin of getting medical services. Now, the concept isn’t new. It has been in the health industry for some time now. However, it was vastly underutilized before the COVID-19 pandemic started. Yet, with people asked to stay indoors to prevent spreading or contracting the SARS-COV-2 virus, many have turned to the online to get medical help. And, they’ve found plenty of medical professionals waiting for them there.
Now, with telemedicine becoming more widespread and used than ever before, patients and medical professionals alongside have grown more comfortable to meet virtually. That’s because telehealth solutions have plenty of benefits for medical practitioners and their patients.
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Benefits Of Telemedicine for Patients
Telemedicine has plenty of benefits for patients, and these advantages become more and more apparent as such services are becoming more widespread and attract new users by the day. More precisely, telehealth services benefit patients with:
Access to specialists from all around the world
One of the biggest benefits of the appearance of telehealth services is that they allow access to health specialists from all around the world. Before technology became an integral part of the health industry, allowing virtual medical services to happen, people were bound to see specialists in their area or travel for hundreds if not thousands of miles to see a particular specialist for their medical condition. Well, in today’s digital area, that is no longer the case.
Technology allows patients to connect with specialists from all over the world within seconds without having to travel for a physical appointment. This is particularly useful for patients living in rural areas with low access to quality medical services and patients who suffer from a medical condition that prevents them from traveling long distances or at all. Telemedicine allows patients to see a doctor any time of the day (and night in most cases), no matter the location of the patient or medical specialist.
Reduced costs for medical appointments
Quality medical services are pretty expensive and can mean a financial burden for patients with an average income. For patients who don’t have health insurance, medical services are nearly inaccessible. Well, telemedicine solves these challenges for patients who have low financial possibilities that may prevent them from getting quality medical help.
Virtual medical appointments typically cost less than in-person appointments do. One reason for that is that medical specialists who offer telemedicine services also have reduced costs with maintaining their medical facility. So, they ask for significantly lower fees for their services. What’s more, as the need to travel to see a doctor is eliminated, virtual medical appointments also cost patients less in terms of travel costs.
Reduced exposure to viruses and other pathogens
Another benefit of getting medical assistance virtually is that patients are less exposed to viruses and other pathogens than they are when they attend in-person visits at the doctor. In-person medical appointments involve hours-long waits in crowded waiting rooms with other patients, which can expose everybody in the room to Covid-19, flu, or other viruses.
In contrast, telehealth keeps patients safe at home, allowing them to avoid being exposed to viruses and germs that may worsen their medical conditions.
Middle-of-the-night medical support
When it comes to medical emergencies in the middle of the night that require medical assistance, it can be challenging to visit a medical specialist for help, especially if the patient is a baby or a person with a disability or a severe condition. In such cases, telemedicine is a saving solution that allows a medical expert to provide a diagnosis and a prescription if needed when needed, even if that means the middle of the night.
Benefits Of Telemedicine for Medical Professionals
Telehealth solutions don’t just benefit patients. This new concept of digital medical assistance is also full of advantages for doctors. Some benefits medical experts offering telemedicine services include:
Reduced exposure to viruses and other pathogens
Similar to how it is for patients, doctors also benefit from reduced exposure to viruses and germs, protecting them from developing certain medical conditions as well. Doctors see their patients face-to-face with in-person visits, which exposes them to transmittable viruses like COVID-19 or the flu. In contrast, seeing their patients virtually doesn’t expose them to any risk of contracting a virus.
Lower costs for the medical facility
Having an maintaining a medical facility where they can see patients means some pretty expensive costs for doctors. From renting a location to decorating it, keeping it clean and proper for medical assistance purposes, and so on, it can cost doctors a lot of money. Yet, using telemedicine and connecting with patients virtually eliminates all these costs. In the long run, doctors can also afford to lower their fees for medical services.
Excellent support for patients
A doctor’s reputation for how they successfully treat patients with severe conditions matters a lot to attracting new patients to their practice. But, if the doctor isn’t able to see the patient regularly because the patient can’t travel or isn’t available for frequent visits, it can be a challenge to monitor and treat a patient properly. Thus, telemedicine services also allow doctors to treat their patients better and earn a good reputation for being supportive and involved in offering the proper medical assistance and help.
