The differences between telehealth and telemedicine
As time progresses, technology continues to advance. At present, people use modern technology in almost all aspects of life, including healthcare. Telemedicine is the use of electronic communication or communication software to provide remote healthcare services. In telemedicine, doctors can follow up on their patients, manage chronic conditions, and provide medication management without in-visits. Telehealth, on the other hand, is a term used for the broad range of technology used to provide patient care and improve healthcare delivery. Unlike telemedicine, telehealth is not restricted to delivery of remote healthcare services only; telehealth includes delivery of remote non-clinical services. The non-clinical services include health promotion, public health functions, as well as provide training. The differences between telemedicine and telehealth can be explored by discussing the benefits and limitations of each.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine gives room for more convenient and accessible patient care. Since telemedicine is restricted to delivery of remote healthcare services, more patients can reach out to doctors and healthcare providers. Many patients prefer using communication software to receive patient care to in-person interactions. According to Montgomery et al. (2015), telemedicine is rapidly expanding its services to millions of consumers. The expansion is attributed to convenient and accessible healthcare.
Telemedicine offers better access to specialists. In some cases, physicians refer their patients to other specialists for further treatment. Typically, patients have to book appointments to access the recommended specialists. However, with telemedicine, patients can access specialists easily and quickly. Apart from easing access, telemedicine also reduces the cost of healthcare services. Patients do not have to visit the physicians for unnecessary reasons or regular check-ups.
One main disadvantage is the high cost of building and maintaining a telemedicine program. In line with Weinstein et al. (2014), the telemedicine provider requires to restructure its staff and include more IT personnel. Furthermore, other staff in the hospital, such as nurses, pharmacists, and the laboratory technicians needs training on telemedicine technology.
Telehealth
Telehealth provides a broad range of healthcare services. Unlike telemedicine, telehealth is not restricted to physician access only. As per Weinstein et al. (2014), telehealth enables people to manage their healthcare through access to healthcare information and non-physician services. For instance, people living with diabetes can use phone applications to upload food logs, medications, and dosing to get an electronic review.
Telehealth improves the general health of patients. For instance, people on a diet plan can get reminders on their phones as well as get electronic reviews based on their exercise plans. Furthermore, healthcare service providers can conduct health promotions that reach many people.
The disadvantage of telehealth is the lack of reimbursement policies. Although telehealth usage is rapidly expanding among people around the globe, healthcare providers do not get payments from consumers.
In conclusion, both telehealth and telemedicine have increased healthcare access among patients. Reimbursement policies should be enacted to motivate healthcare providers to render their services to the growing population.
References
Montgomery, A., Hunter, D., Blair, E., & Hendricksen, M. (2015). Telemedicine today: The state of affairs. Ann Arbor, MI: Altarum Institute.
Weinstein, R. S., Lopez, A. M., Joseph, B. A., Erps, K. A., Holcomb, M., Barker, G. P., & Krupinski, E. A. (2014). Telemedicine, telehealth, and mobile health applications that work: opportunities and barriers. The American journal of medicine, 127(3), 183-187.