Difference Between Telemedicine and Telehealth
Technology has brought numerous changes in our day-to-day life. It is helping us get things done with ease and at a faster pace. Digital healthcare technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud computing are efficiently shaping the future of healthcare. Communications technology is allowing audio and video consultations to experience real-time health care delivery virtually from any location.
Until a few years back, we had to visit a hospital to get a doctor’s consultation. With the advanced technology options becoming handy, we can consult a doctor from a remote location to seek medical advice. Mobile phones, mobile apps, and other communication sources are helping healthcare providers to deliver virtual care to patients. In today’s healthcare world, telemedicine and telehealth offer simple and most efficient healthcare solutions to patients through virtual practices.
In the current pandemic, most people prefer access to healthcare according to their convenience. Telemedicine and telehealth services are currently helping people get access to healthcare remotely. Healthcare technology has the potential to surpass traditional healthcare operations by incorporating novel ideas that amplify human health. Advanced healthcare technologies like telemedicine solutions provide health access to a broader group of people.
Overview of Telemedicine and Telehealth
Telemedicine and telehealth are interchangeable words that describe the use of advanced electronic and telecommunications technology to deliver virtual health care.
What is Telemedicine?
Telemedicine is real-time, two-way communication between a patient and the doctor to provide clinical care to the patients at a distant site. Telemedicine is significantly supporting the healthcare delivery systems contributing to the betterment of public health. Telemedicine allows audio and video consultations, which avoids in-person hospital visits and longer waiting times at hospitals. With less wait time at the clinics and no commutation costs, people accept telemedicine solutions as it significantly lessens the barriers between a patient and the doctor.
Telemedicine makes it possible for physicians to provide health care support to those residing in locations that have limited access to primary health care. Telemedicine includes audio and video communication with the physician where the doctor understands the health problem shared by the patient. The patient’s information is kept secure and the doctor forwards the necessary medications to the clinical assistants who in turn deliver them to the patient. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) permits monitoring the patient’s health from the play where they stay/remote location. RPM is a type of telemedicine service where medical devices are used to monitor the patient’s health without the need for the hospital admission.
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth refers to delivering health-related services, such as information that supports patient care, health education, and other administrative services. Telehealth utilises telecommunications technologies to support the healthcare system. Although both telemedicine and telehealth seem to be identical, telehealth includes non-clinical operations as well.
Telehealth includes methods that improve patient care and education for effective health care delivery. It includes non-clinical events like physician training, medical education, and administrative meetings for better health care delivery. The future of telehealth is greatly expanding as more people getting inclined towards virtual health care services.
Telemedicine Vs Telehealth
Telemedicine and Telehealth have specific overlapping methods and are often confused. Technically, telemedicine is a subdivision of telehealth that encompasses clinical services. Both telemedicine and telehealth are undergoing expansion and changes following technological advancements. Telemedicine uses a wide range of applications and technologies for consultation and videoconferencing with the doctor.
Teleconsultation allows one to meet a doctor and get primary health care support virtually. There is a continuous debate among healthcare professionals in terms of a broad understanding of the terms telemedicine and telehealth. Telemedicine and telehealth significantly reduce the workload on the healthcare system as it requires less staff when compared to traditional healthcare delivery methods.
Telemedicine is a subgroup of telehealth where it solely deals with the provision of health care services, whereas telehealth includes remote non-clinical services. Telemedicine facilitates frequent follow-ups that are essential for the management of chronic disease conditions. Both telehealth and telemedicine are expanding their capabilities to improve the healthcare delivery systems.
Telehealth includes a wide range of services that include non-clinical services. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), telehealth is responsible for surveillance and health promotions. Telehealth delivers health information for health professionals and to every individual by educating and training them through internet and telecommunications.
