Telehealth solutions are becoming a necessity in healthcare practices. They are usually combined with other practice management and communication software to provide an all-in-one solution.
A medical specialist based in California could review a patient case with a team of doctors in Florida using a live telehealth video. This saves costs for both healthcare institutions (reduced windshield time) and patients (transportation expenses, childcare costs and missing work). It also improves patient access to care.
Patient Access
Telehealth solutions provide patients with a range of digital communication technologies to connect in real-time to healthcare providers. This can include a video conference, phone call or text message. In addition, the telehealth platform may offer 24/7 technical support to help troubleshoot problems on both the patient and clinician ends of the conversation.
A telehealth solution could allow a patient to visit a specialist in a remote city without spending commuting hours each way or incurring expensive travel costs. This can be particularly beneficial for people living in poverty, where access to reliable transportation is scarce.
In a similar vein, telehealth can also be used to facilitate medical education and peer support groups. A top medical expert in California can share their knowledge with students in Florida via live telehealth video, for example.
Convenience
Patients have told us that convenience is the most important feature to have in telehealth. By offering telehealth to patients and reducing the amount of time they spend traveling or waiting for in-person appointments, healthcare organizations can offer an experience that is both convenient and high quality.
mHealth solutions are software programs that focus on making healthcare more accessible via mobile devices like smartphones or tablets. These can range from simple apps that send patients reminders to take their medication to 2-way video calls with physicians.
Medical education and remote consultations are also popular applications for telehealth solutions. For example, a top specialist in California could review a case with medical students in Florida through live telehealth video. This allows physicians to share their expertise in a way that’s accessible to patients around the globe.
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Patient Engagement
Patient engagement with telehealth solutions is a powerful tool that can transform healthcare. Patients who are engaged and active in their health are more likely to comply with physician recommendations, adhere to their prescriptions, and take proactive measures to improve their lifestyle habits.
These efforts are not only beneficial to their health but also improve the outcomes of the care they receive at a medical institution. This leads to more efficient patient-centered care, which is a critical component of high-quality healthcare.
For example, patients who use a telemonitoring program to monitor their heart disease can update physicians with information about changes in their symptoms, which may lead to an earlier diagnosis and treatment. In addition, these types of programs have been shown to decrease systolic blood pressure in participants, which can reduce the likelihood of a cardiovascular event.
Patient Education
Patient education is crucial to ensuring that patients are aware of their treatment options, their health conditions, and their potential for better health outcomes. It also empowers patients to make the decisions that are best for them and their families, allowing them to be more active participants in their own care.
Providing comprehensive education before and after appointments can improve results both in terms of patient satisfaction and quality of life. Patients who are well-informed and engaged are more likely to follow medical advice and be compliant with their prescriptions.
Educated patients are also less likely to be influenced by factors like financial limitations, which often prevent people from seeing specialists outside of their network. Making information more accessible through telehealth can help address these barriers.
Patient Safety
Patient safety is a top priority for healthcare organizations offering telehealth services. Regulatory and professional input along with the healthcare organization’s unique perspective should help to create and continuously refine guidelines, protocols, standards, and operational procedures.
Clinical risk managers should be especially attentive to issues of informed consent and verification of identity, particularly amongst a population that may have low health literacy or distrust of electronic technologies (67). Ensure that the telehealth solution integrates seamlessly into practice information management systems, such as EHRs.
Finally, telehealth enables providers to assess the physical environment where patients live, potentially detect environmental hazards or clues to mental illness, and facilitate family involvement in care. For these reasons and others, telehealth seems poised to grow beyond the COVID-19 pandemic if the right infrastructure and policies are in place.
