Telecommunication can be used on a worldwide scale in sharing of digital information for the patients. It applies communication technologies such as smartphones and computers to access health care services remotely. Patients can be able to manage their health care without attending health institutions (Cockcroft & Hendy, 2018). When a patient with a genetic health problem that requires to be monitored regularly, moves from China to America, their health history and medical records are sent electronically to their new physician. Computers can also be used by these two physicians, where clarification is required through skyping to make sure that the health of the patient is monitored effectively.
Telehealth is used in practice to reduce the cost of transport by remotely monitoring the performance of the patients (Egede, 2018). A physician calls their patients and can take different health records such as heart rate, blood pressure, and monitoring other vital signs. Communication devices are used in doctor-patient consultation. The patient does not have to go to the hospital as a call will help determine what steps they should take. It also reduces consultation and time taken in the waiting line. Physicians can offer medical education to patients, such as ways they should manage health problems such as diabetes, thus reducing hospital readmission rates.
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Telehealth is faced with several obstacles. It is costly and requires large amounts of investments which most healthcare institutions cannot afford. Implementing telehealth in remote areas is a challenge due to internet issues. In addition, most individuals in the remote regions are not aware of how to operate computers, thus may hinder the process (Cockcroft & Hendy, 2018). Technology keeps on changing, and it affects the successful implementation of telehealth. The success rates of telehealth are low since some patients believe in the importance of a physical relationship with their doctors and not a conversation through the phone as a way of health guidance.
References
Cockcroft, S., & Hendy, J. (2018, December). Telehealth adoption: three case studies at the organisational level. In Proceedings of the 29th Australasian Conference on Information Systems (ACIS 2018) . Australian Association for Information Systems.
Egede, L. E. (2018). Telehealth intervention for depression reduces costs. PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News , 812 , 31-22.
