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| Courtesy of Flickr |
Every year there are
tremendous advancements in science and medicine. One arena that is taking off
like a rocket to the moon is Telemedicine. Just a couple of years ago
Telemedicine was often referred to as a novel idea that wasn’t quite practical.
Well babe, all that has changed. Today doctors and insurance companies are
starting to embrace Telemedicine, partially because of the rising cost of
healthcare and partially because it is practical. In this article about
Telemedicine, we will explore just how quickly doctors are adding this tool to
their medicine chest and how it will affect you the consumer of modern day
medicine. So read on and learn from this week’s Working the Web to win as we
explore - Telemedicine: Is There a Doctor in your Browser?
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA)
defines telemedicine as the use of medical information exchanged from one site
to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health
status. Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services
using two-way video, smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of
telecommunications technology.
Telemedicine is changing the
way healthcare is being delivered. A long time ago, before most of the baby
boomers were born, doctors went on housecalls where they actually made visits
to the homes of their patients to check them out. Things changed. Whenever
possible, patients would go to the doctor’s office for checkups and issues that
didn’t require visits to the emergency room or to the hospital. Since doctors didn’t have to spend time on
the road getting to and from patients’ homes, it was much more efficient for
them. It enabled them to interact with many more patients in a shorter period
of time. Through Telemedicine, the housecall is making a big comeback.
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| Courtesy Wikimedia Commons |
“In situations where a quick
return to Earth was not possible, the ability to not only monitor biometric
data, but also to engage at least rudimentary guided medical treatment by
non-physicians was critical: if a medical emergency arose, astronauts would
have only their crewmates to accurately diagnose them.” A Brief History of NASA’s Contributions to
Telemedicine
Along these same lines, war
was also an impetus for the evolution and development of Telemedicine. During
any battle situation, it is imperative to keep soldiers alive and get them well
as soon as possible. Armies have limited numbers of Doctors, and even though they
have medics in the field, the U.S. Army felt that Telemedicine would be a great
way to improve the survivability of their soldiers in the field. In the early nineties,
just before the invention of the internet, the Army tested using radio and microwave
telemetry to achieve Telemedicine. The internet was a giant step forward
towards making Telemedicine a reality.
Telemedicine has evolved. Doctors
are increasingly connecting with patients via the Internet. This allows patients
to receive personalized care without driving to the doctor’s office and sitting
in the waiting room. Also, robots are now being used in situations where physical
examinations are needed. Instead of visiting a doctor’s office, patients can
visit their doctor’s robot’s office. Doctors can see patients all over the world
without leaving their offices. One company, iRobot, has created a robot which
combines autonomous navigation and mobility with Telemedicine technology from
InTouch Health. It’s called InTouch Vita.
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| Courtesy Wikimedia Commons |
Patients can order
prescriptions online. Unfortunately, there are thousands of websites that sell
illegal and counterfeit drugs. They operate
out of compliance with US pharmacy laws and standards of practice. Some
distributors don’t even require a valid prescription. Many of the drugs being
sold online have not even approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
When you order drugs online,
it’s hard to be certain that you’re getting what you’re paying for. Organized
crime networks have been switching from dealing in illicit drugs to
manufacturing and distributing fake pharmaceuticals. The penalties are far less
if they are caught and the profits are as good or better.
The
Patient’s Perspective
Telemedicine is a very
convenient way for patients to find all sorts of information. Patients can now
check a doctor’s malpractice history and look at reviews by patients who have
seen him or her. Patients can also go to websites like WebMD, Mayo Clinic, and
many others to see what conditions their symptoms might be associated with.
Some
people diagnose themselves. Sometimes they’re right and sometimes they’re not.
One thing people should remember is that those of us who have not been educated
and trained as doctors should not pretend that we are doctors. Without the
rigorous study that is required to become a doctor, people don’t have the
breadth of knowledge that doctors have.
People
have been known to read about a rare side effect of a medication they have been
taking and, without consulting their doctor, discontinue it. For a patient to
take things into his or her own hands that way can be dangerous.
| Courtesy Wikimedia Commons |
In addition to the
convenience of Telemedicine for patients and practitioners, another factor that
may be driving the growth in Telemedicine is the economics of it. The cost of
setting up a portal to interact with patients is much lower than maintaining
office space and paying employees to run it. A Teleconsultation where patients
and doctors have the opportunity to ask questions and get answers can be very
effective for dealing with many health concerns.
Home Healthcare is
experiencing phenomenal growth and Telemedicine is one of the ways doctors are
providing healthcare to patients in the comfort of the patients’ own homes.
Doctors are using technology in some
very interesting ways. For example, there is a tiny device that can be added to
a pill which sends out a signal when the pill has been digested. The purpose is
to make sure patients are taking their meds.
In addition to connecting
with patients, doctors are also connecting with other medical professionals. There
are now social networks that cater to doctors. One prominent social network for
the medical industry called MedMasters.com. The MedMasters website says, “By combining the best features of
social media and professional networking with that of traditional job boards
and lead sourcing, we are the natural evolution of the career management and
fulfillment process.” This network provides a searchable database of doctors,
nurses, medical IT providers, medical recruiters and pharmaceutical sales
representatives.
| Courtesy Wikipedia |
An increasing number of
people are turning to the Internet for everything from diagnosis to treatment
options. Doctors are using Telemedicine for everything from consultation
to Telesurgery. For those of us who lead active lives, turning to
the virtual doctor can save time and money. For people who have difficulty
getting around, Telemedicine can be especially helpful. It can also produce
good health outcomes.
Doctors have begun using a
new class of artificially intelligent computers to diagnose problems.
IBM’s Watson, which became famous by beating the world’s best human players on
Jeopardy, was repurposed to serve the healthcare industry. Watson can
compare millions of bits of data to make a diagnosis. Also, since Watson
is cloud-based, it is available 24/7 anywhere in the world.
Telemedicine technologies
are changing people’s lives. In the future, new applications will be developed
which will increase the capabilities of doctors to serve their patients using
Telemedicine.
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In
this article I have discussed Telemedicine, how it was developed, and how
the use of it is increasing. I’ve discussed the history of Telemedicing,
ordering drugs, and how doctors interact with patients through Telemedicine.
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Danny Murphy is the Lead Blogger at Working the Web to Win, an award-winning Internet marketing company based in Jacksonville, Florida. He is also the author of Humor 101: How to Tell Jokes for Power, Prestige, Profit, and Personal Fulfillment which is available from Amazon on Kindle.
A mouse of protection is worth a pound of cure. If you hate sitting for hours in a doctor's waiting room, you need to read Danny's blog.
ReplyDeleteNice article, it provides many informative and helpful information. Thanks for sharing this. Looking for more updates in future.
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