Trust in Telemedicine -The Leading Physicians of the World

Telemedicine is a technology that enables remote healthcare. This simply means that it is possible for doctors to diagnose and treat patients wherever the patient is and whenever needed, by use of a smartphone or a computer.

Telemedicine is a great alternative to the traditional health care system as it can deal with situations such as:
·         Inquiry about specific medical conditions for home treatment
·         Diagnosis of common health problems a such as back pain, sore throat, digestive problems and headache
·         Doctor visits on weekends, late night, holidays or other situations where regular medical care is unavailable.

·         Treatment of patients who are unable to leave their homes due to bad weather conditions or sickness
·         Post-treatment checkups or follow ups for chronic disease care
·         Faster acquisition of short-term medical prescriptions

Do Patients Trust Telemedicine?
According to a recent study conducted by TechnologyAdvice, about 75% of patients do not trust virtual diagnosis or diagnosis made through telemedicine. Though initiatives from telemedicine are very promising in increasing reliable access to basic and preventive care, majority of patients are still dubious about the quality of diagnosis made through virtual appointments. About 65% of those surveyed said they are unlikely to choose telehealth visits or virtual appointments while 35.4% said they would prefer it.

Trust issues have arisen since telemedicine is a newer medical industry technology which lacks familiarity. Data from the same research however shows that younger people are less skeptical to the remote option. Only 17% of 18 to 24 year old respondents and 24% of 25 to 44 year old respondents said they don’t trust virtual diagnosis. Also about 65% of those surveyed said they would somewhat likely to use a virtual appointment system if only they have first visited the doctor.

Results from this study suggest that hesitation from telemedicine is because of patient’s fear due to lack of physician choice and lack of familiarity with the physician they see. Adoption of telemedicine can therefore be promoted by giving education materials about the technology, lowering the cost of the service, giving more convenient scheduling options and also giving clear explanations about how much is offered for a physician choice.

Why telemedicine is right for you
In case you like the idea of seeing your physician through a video conference on your smartphone, tablet or laptop, you are not alone. According to a recent research, more than 75% of younger persons are interested in trying this remote option. Telemedicine has been used for the last few decades and its adoption is increasing steadily. This is due to access of high-speed internet connections and availability of devices to perform virtual visits. This approach has been made by many due to the following telemedicine advantages:

·         Lower cost
Electronic data storage, monitoring services and remote analysis through telehealth can significantly reduce the cost of healthcare service saving money for the patients, doctors and insurance companies. Telemedicine also helps you get rid of unnecessary ER visits therefore eliminating your transportation expenses for your regular checkups.
Apart from general healthcare cost savings, telemedicine can help increase physician’s revenue by turning on-call hours into billable time. This reduces no-shows, attracts new patients and also reduces overhead for doctors who may decide to switch to a flexible work-from-home model in any day of the week.

·         More accessible and convenient
According to a recent study, 74% patients would prefer easy and accessible healthcare services through in-person interactions with physicians. In the world of today, convenience is the key. Addition of telemedicine to your practice can offer patients simple, on-demand care without wasting time and cash like in most in-person visits. People who are homebound, those located in remote areas or those who cannot get off time from work, can access their care virtually. Online management systems, video conferencing and smartphone apps can connect more patients to their physicians than ever before.

·         Better Health
With telemedicine, you are able to see your doctor as often as you need him or her without challenges of getting into the office. Telemedicine also offers improved timeliness of care which is very crucial to quality patient care. This means that you can have a better management of your lifestyle, medication and any chronic diseases you might have. A recent study shows that telemedicine patients score lower for conditions such as stress, depression and anxiety and have 38% fewer hospital admissions.

·         Increased patient engagement
When you are committed to your own healthcare goals, you will have improved health and lower costs of health care. If patients are engaged though telemedicine, it can help maintain care schedules and appointments. Increased engagement on telemedicine can also curb tobacco use and some conditions such as obesity helping one to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Virtual visits does not only reassure patients that their physicians are available and concerned in their care, but also make it much easier for them to reach their physicians with questions, make follow-up appointments and report early signs to make sure they are on track.

·         Extended physician list
With telemedicine, patients in remote or rural areas benefit from faster and more convenient specialist access. For example, in the U.S., there are only 43 physicians available to attend to 100,000 rural patients. This means these patients have to commute for longer distances and have difficulty accessing lifesaving consultations for chronic care plans and other life-threatening illnesses.
With telemedicine, you can have a better access to more specialists regardless of your location. As a physician, you can also refer your patients to specific physicians as they trust you more. If you are a physician looking to gain new patients, telemedicine can help you reach many people.

The Bottom Line
Though telemedicine is a great alternative for traditional health care system, many people don’t believe that it is a better, convenient and cheap way to access health care. Some of the challenges facing it include:
·         Reimbursement rules and tricky policies
·         Lack of technical training equipment
·         Reduced care continuity
·         Unfamiliarity and limited health literacy

Telemedicine is a better remote option for healthcare and could be the future of U.S. healthcare if only patients can be convinced to use it.
Location: New York, NY, USA

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