Modern technologies have changed the human life dramatically. Nowadays, everything can be solved, as well as everything can be bought with the help of television or internet. Telehealth services are not an exception. In a modern world, the physician can use his e-mail for communicating with the patient, analyzing the symptoms and prescribing medicines. Fortunately enough, sick people can receive necessary support or medicine without even leaving their house. This business involves numerous companies and corporations, so the issue of selling the telehealth services is quite topical nowadays. The following paper will discuss the telehealth, analyze its usefulness and point out its key benefits ethics approach
First and foremost, telehealth is the widespread use of telecommunication technologies with the aim to provide the patients from any country with the healthcare. Also, it provides support to health administration, public health and health education. California Law defines Telehealth as following “The mode of delivering health care services and public health via information and communication technologies to facilitate the diagnosis, treatment, consultation, education, as well as self-management of a patient's health care.” (CA State Law Telemedicine/Telehealt Definition) Indeed, telehealth uses the most up-to-date technologies such as the internet, streaming media, wireless communication, videoconferencing and many other useful tools. Such an innovative system has made a true revolution in the industry of healthcare. Speaking of the sphere of its usage, it should be pointed out that telehealth can be used both in the simple cases, when the patient needs the doctor`s advice and talks to him by the phone, or in extremely complicated cases when one surgeon needs some additional information and works with another specialist from another country in the online regime. Notably, the aspect of telehealth can be compared to the telemedicine, but unlike telemedicine, telehealth is a wider system. Telemedicine is aimed to the treatment and curative aspect while telehealth encompasses preventive, promotion and curative aspects. In many cases, telehealth system does not only create additional convenience for doctors and patients but is quite imperative. For example, remote therapy is widely used in the treatment of prisoners and serving patients who live in rural areas. Also, telehealth is widely used in psychology. In order to cure the patient, the psychologist should talk to the patient, understand the symptoms and help him. Listening to the patient online, the doctor makes some notes in his computer and it helps him to avoid the routine paper work. Carothers, states that “Whether the patient and clinician are sitting together in an exam room, or talking to each other via video screen, the personal relationship they establish is paramount.” The physicians confess that with the help of telecommunication, it is easy to monitor the process of the patient`s recovery. The following list of clinical uses of telehealth will point its key functions:
· Telehealth allows the healthcare provider to get the patient`s history for assessment;
· It gives the ability to exchange the education with the help of teleconference for the individuals or the whole groups;
· It allows receiving the specialist`s advice from all over the globe;
· It helps to make a follow-up of patient`s health;
· Many other cases.
Also, telehealth is widely spread in the nonclinical cases. For example it is widely used in healthcare management, healthcare system integration, and in healthcare supervision. As for the telehealth tools, they are the following: electronic health records, online support groups, online self-management tools, online or video doctor`s visits, e-mail communication with a healthcare provider, and remote monitoring of symptoms. With the help of modern technologies, the patients can evaluate the pros and cons of the prescribed treatment, as well as find the alternative its ways. The procedure of getting online help is simple – the patient just needs to find a reliable healthcare assistant and tell him all his symptoms. The online helper may ask the history of health in order to make a better diagnose. If the patient wants to be sure that the treatment is correct, he should find an alternative source.
Carothers believes that “The expansion of Telehealth is gaining velocity.” Indeed, telehealth become more and more popular all over the world and now it includes home health, occupational and physical therapy, counseling, dentistry, management and monitoring of chronic diseases, disaster management and many other spheres. However, it is not the limit because this sphere develops with every single day trying to make the life of the healthcare workers and their patients much easier. One more very important aspect should be mentioned. People involved into the system of telehealth should be very professional since they work with human life and health. Carothers states that “telehealth program managers should be experienced in clinical, technical and logistical aspects of telehealth.”
However, the system of telehealth is widely debated, as there are people – doctors and nurses who do not support this innovation. They opine that is order to get high-quality care the patient should consult a doctor personally. Being unable to adapt to the fast developing of this sphere they do not believe in the usefulness of videoconferences and internet services. However, their arguments are weak since telehealth system has already become an inevitable part of human life. Speaking about the importance of such a system in a modern world, Ken Terry states that ” Like retail clinics, telehealth services that offer remote audio and video consultations with physicians on mobile devices or desktop computers—handle the kinds of minor acute problems that are the bread and butter of primary care.” The users of telehealth system will surely get the following benefits:
· Convenience. A patient can receive necessary assistance any time he needs it, not only during the reception hours. After the work or late at night, he can search on the web or make a call to a round-the-clock patient`s service.
· Spending less time waiting. Everybody knows that sometimes the patient should wait many hours to get the doctor`s assistance. Telehealth allows forgetting about this painful situation because online help is available 24/7, and the client can get the assistance right after his request.
· Cost efficiency. Almost all the visits to the doctors cost much money while online conferences and video chats will be free of charge. The using of telehealth tools is the simplest ways to economize the money. Especially people, who live in rural areas, do not have to pay for transport and some other additional costs visiting a qualified doctor.
· Privacy. People who want to stay unknown using some medical services can easily fulfill their desires because telehealth system can be private for anyone. Thus, the patient can get qualified health anonymously.
To summarize the above mentioned, the telehealth is the huge collection of the methods and means used for enhancing health care, health education, as well as public health with the help of sophisticated telecommunication technologies. Modern telehealth system offers a myriad of solutions for the doctors and patients. It uses various sophisticated technologies for prevention and curing the diseases even the most complex ones. In conclusion, it should be said that having an electronic personal record can be a true lifesaver. In case of emergency, the patient can easily provide the doctor with the necessary data about the previous diseases, the medications the patient used to take, the medicines the patient is allergic to and many other necessary items.
