Telehealth (original) (raw)

Teleconsultations allow a physician in a remote area to receive advice from a specialist at a distant location about special or complex patient conditions. Such consultations can be as simple as a phone call. Increasingly, they involve sophisticated sharing of medical information such as CT, MRI or ultrasound scans. These images can be taken by the local physician, incorporated into an electronic medical record and sent to the specialist for diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) enables patient monitoring outside of clinical settings, such as in the home. Patients use or wear sensors that wirelessly collect and transmit physiological data to health professionals. RPM can significantly improve an individual’s quality of life. For example, in diabetes management, the real-time transmission of blood glucose readings enables healthcare providers to intervene when needed and avoid acute events and hospitalizations.

Telehomecare provides the remote care needed to allow people with chronic conditions, dementia, or those at high risk of falling to remain living in their own homes. The approach focuses on reacting to emergency events and raising a help response quickly. Sensors monitor changes in chronic conditions as well as other risks including floods, fires, and gas leaks. Sensors can also alert caregivers if a person with dementia leaves the house. When a sensor is activated, a monitoring center is alerted to take appropriate action such as contacting a caregiver or sending emergency services.

Point-of-care (POC) medicine relies on diagnostic devices that can perform at the time and place of patient care, which includes at home, in doctor’s offices and clinics, and in remote areas without electricity or laboratory equipment. POC devices can detect micronutrient deficiencies, anemia, infectious agents, and even some cancers. Combined with telehealth, POC technologies allow health care workers to test patients and rapidly obtain results without the need for a complex laboratory setting which can result in significant cost-reduction.