8 Amazing Benefits of Telehealth you need to know

The world is changing at a fast pace and the healthcare sector has no exception to this.

Technology has changed the ways we used to live and this change is continuously affecting our lives. From visiting grocery shops to using mobile apps to order whatever we need, we have already come a long way.

Telehealth- Changing Healthcare Sector for Good

Technology intervention has also entered our healthcare industry and is making a huge difference. Gone are the times when we had to wait for hours and then visit a doctor to get treated for a mild illness.

TELEHEALTH is the new trend in healthcare that is revolutionizing the healthcare sector.  Forget about the travelling distance and cost and even you don’t need to worry about the hospital infections, just pick up your phone book and appointment and your doctor will be here right in front of the screen asking questions and beginning your treatment.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth- intervention of technology in healthcare is making things better for us. It takes in everything from EHRs (electronic health records) to telemedicine aimed towards better healthcare facilities. All these things are also improving day by day.

Recently, I was attending a webinar in which there was a talk on hospital management software in Pakistan and I was amazed to know how technology is helping to maintain and regulate the smooth workflow.

Benefits of Telehealth

Telehealth seems like a promising approach to provide healthcare services. The benefits offered by telehealth in healthcare are countless. Here are some of the benefits of telehealth we need to be aware of;

1- No extra input in terms of time

Time is money goes as it says in the tin. Especially our modern day life, we have fast lives where most tasks need to be performed at a fast pace. In the meantime our conventional healthcare practices are quite time consuming and pain-striking. 

Spending hours waiting for our turns to meet the physician, we all have been there and done that. Now we don’t need to put this effort in time and everything is just a click away. In a matter of seconds, we can book an appointment and talk to our physician in another few minutes. Thus, telehealth saves a great deal of time.

2- Hospital induced infections are no longer a problem

Hospital induced infections or nosocomial infections have been a greater problem in the past. You go to hospital for the treatment of one disease and end up getting one or more infections. This is especially important in case of children and older ones, 

These hospital-induced infections account for 10 and 7% of total infections in developing and developed countries respectively. Thanks to telehealth, you don’t need to worry about these infections anymore especially during this pandemic.

3- No expenditure on transportation

When it comes to the healthcare facility, patients tend to give less importance to the physical factors and go for the best services no matter where they are located. Depending upon your preferences, healthcare facilities can be located near to you or can be quite distant from you. Not only long travel distances are problematic but can dig a deep hole in your pocket. Travel expenses are a huge burden in patients' treatment. Previously, people were supposed to travel long distances to get treated. Now, telehealth distance isn’t a problem anymore and you can save a lot on your travelling expenditure.

4- Access to right and specialized healthcare facilities

Medical misdiagnosis is a common phenomenon and probably a biggest hurdle in optimum healthcare facilities provision. One of the easiest ways to minimize the risk of medical misdiagnosis is to get advice from the right person at the right time. 

However, for many people it is really hard to get to the right physician. But now with telehealth no matter wherever you are, you can directly get access to the right and specialized healthcare services for you. These specialized doctors can help you through your ailment and provide the right and up to the mark treatment.

5- Customized healthcare facilities to cater to patients requirements

Different patients have different requirements when it comes to their treatment. In the conventional treatment approach, it wasn’t possible to cater to customer requirements differently. Telehealth has enabled providers to cater to customer’s requirements differently adding to the convenience. This patient-oriented approach can change the overall scenario of healthcare.

6- Geographical boundaries are no longer a concern

Previously, geographical boundaries were of major concern whenever there was a talk on the accessibility of healthcare facilities. People living in villages have no access to good healthcare facilities. Telehealth is successfully helping the patients to get the right services despite all the physical boundaries.

7- Cost-effective healthcare facilities

Travelling expenses or visiting physicians physically was a burden on patients. All thanks to this amazing technology, patients are getting cost-effective healthcare facilities at their convenience and their conditions.

8- Patient Oriented Treatment Approach

One of the major benefits of telehealth includes a patient oriented approach. Patient-physician is of huge importance whenever it comes to the best quality healthcare services. Previously, patients were less likely to be part of decision making when it came to their health. However, now with telehealth the situation has gotten a lot different. 

Patient is the centre of any healthcare facility and patient preferences are kept at the top of the list. Thanks to telehealth, patients are actively participating in their own healthcare decision that is resulting in improved facilities alongside better healthcare standards. 

Bottom Line!

Telehealth is a promising approach for better healthcare facilities and offers many benefits. Despite all these benefits of telehealth, there are certain limitations to this. Among these limitations, the security of patient data and chances of medical malpractice are the biggest concerns. However, these concerns are nothing when we compare these to the benefits of healthcare.

 Thus, telehealth puts a responsibility on providers as well as consumers to beware of these mistakes that can compromise the outputs of telehealth. Together with technology, we can make this world a better and livable place.