The number of people living in rural areas is still significant in both developed and developing countries across the globe. For instance, the people who live in rural areas in the USA account for about 20% of the total country’s population ( Neville, 2018) . Unlike urban settings, rural areas are characterized by a lot of challenges that affect the wellbeing of the people. The difficulty in accessing quality health care services is one of the major challenges in rural communities, even in developed and advanced nations. Specifically, many rural communities have a shortage of health care professionals, leading to the poor quality of health care services. At the same time, the inaccessibility due to poor infrastructure is another challenge that is common in rural communities. Consequently, people in rural areas find it challenging to access hospital and other health facilities. However, modern medical technologies are currently being used to reduce challenges while increasing the quality of health care services in rural areas ( Neville, 2018) . Telehealth is one of the medical technologies have improved the medical conditions in rural communities significantly.
Overview of Telehealth
The history of the use of telehealth in the health sector can be traced back to the 1900s when a two-way radio communication system was initiated. Medical experts could use two-way radio communication technologies to remotely advise and guide patients in the medication procedures and steps they needed to take to improve their health. According to Neville (2018), the use of a telephone to guide patients started in the 1960s and the trend has been developing rapidly due to the advancement of telecommunication technologies and other medical techniques. Therefore, telehealth can be defined as the utilization of electronic communication technologies or systems to remotely share health information with the primary objective of improving the health and wellbeing of patients. It is the technology that facilitates the sharing of information between health providers or medical experts with patients who are located in different geographical places. Even though the terms telehealth and telemedicine are often used interchangeably, the former is broader because it incorporates other health-related services, which is not the case for the latter (Marcin, Shaikh & Steinhorn, 2016). Telecommunication technologies mainly facilitate telehealth.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Telehealth includes many activities such as conducting patient consultation through video conferencing, the transmission of still images, remote monitoring of patients, and the provision of e-health through the use of patients' portals. Teleradiology is one of the specific uses of telehealth, as medical experts are now able to transmit medical images through electronic communication technologies (Neville, 2018). Currently, the services of radiologists can be accessed anywhere in the world due to the effectiveness of telehealth. Telesurgery is also now possible with the use of modern telecommunication technologies. Physicians can now participate in surgical procedures without their physical presence in theaters. Another aspect of telehealth is teleconsultation where modern communication technologies are used to provide advice and guide patients. Teleconsultation is mainly achieved through the use of technologies like teleconferencing, video conferencing, and cell phones (Neville, 2018). It is one of the most popular parts of telehealth, especially in the modern era when the use of the internet and cell phones are rampant. Also, telehealth allows for remote patient monitoring, particularly in intensive care units. Physicians can now remotely monitor critical monitoring system without being physically present. Besides, it is now possible to remotely do retinal imaging.
Telehealth is a medical technology that is associated with many benefits. One of the major reasons why the technology is increasingly being embraced across the globe is its ability to reduce the cost of health care services. Neville (2018) argues that telehealth has the potential of reducing the cost of health care services significantly in both developed and developing countries. For instance, a study that was conducted by Wesson and Kupperschmidt revealed that telehealth could reduce the cost of hospital operations by about US$6,505,941 (Neville, 2018). Also, telehealth improves the accessibility of health care services substantially. At the same time, it can enhance the quality of care services. However, many legal and ethical issues are associated with the use of telehealth, especially concerning the transmission of patient data and information (Neville, 2018). Telehealth may interfere with the privacy of patients, and it can also create an opportunity for medical fraud. The high initial cost of implementing telehealth in hospitals is another concern because hospitals are forced to buy expensive software and hardware, as well as communication devices. Nonetheless, telehealth is one of the most important medical technologies currently.
The Effectiveness of Telehealth in Improving Medical Conditions in Rural Communities
Rural communities encounter substantial health disparity, particularly when they are compared to urban areas. Many medical specialists work in urban areas while only a few are found in rural communities. For instance, in the USA, the ratio of subspecialists to patients in rural areas is 40:100,000 compared to 134:100,000 in urban areas ( Marcin, Shaikh & Steinhorn, 2016) . The shortage of medical workforce in rural communities is one of the major challenges that need to be encountered to enhance the quality of health care services. Telehealth is helping in reducing this challenge by improving pediatric ambulatory care in rural communities. Currently, a significant number of patients in rural communities can remotely access pediatric subspecialties like dermatology, cardiology, and endocrinology, which was not the case before the introduction of telehealth, primarily in rural areas ( Marcin, Shaikh & Steinhorn, 2016) . Therefore, with the use of telehealth, people living in rural areas can access special treatment just like their counterparts in urban areas, leading to the improvement of medical conditions.
Access to high-quality emergency services is another issue faced by people who live in rural areas in both developed and developing countries. However, the quality of emergency services in rural communities has been enhanced by the use of telehealth. Remote pediatric consultations can successfully be used to make an accurate diagnosis and to come up with an effective plan for patients who live in rural areas. Pediatric subspecialists are now able to use telemedicine to provide emergency medical services to people in rural communities without compromising the quality of care. For instance, a study found that the use of telemedicine in emergency services in rural areas is characterized by minimal medical errors of about 3.4% ( Marcin, Shaikh & Steinhorn, 2016) . Based on evidence from various studies, medical experts and researchers have concluded that the use of telehealth in emergency departments in rural areas can improve patient's health outcomes, overall satisfaction, and quality of care services. Besides, telehealth improves the effectiveness of care in emergency departments in rural communities.
The program that was implemented by the Helmsley Trust in partnership with Avera Health Proved that telehealth could successfully be used to enhance the quality of emergency services in rural areas. Specifically, the two organizations implemented eEmergency programs in rural areas, which effectively helped in improving the quality of medical conditions in the rural community (Stingley & Schultz, 2014). Findings from the impact assessment of the program revealed that eEmergency improved the multidisciplinary consultations during emergency cases, which assisted in addressing unique medical conditions that were faced by patients (Stingley & Schultz, 2014). At the same time, the eEmergency program allowed nurses to provide hands-on-care to both patients and family members in a rural setting. The program was successfully was to addresses automobile emergency cases that occurred in rural areas, resulting in enhanced health and wellbeing of the people. The program that was implemented by the Helmsley Trust is a clear indication that telehealth can improve emergency services in rural communities.
Also, Avera Health has used telehealth to improve the conditions and quality of health in rural communities. The program that was launched about 25 years ago is now being implemented in a significant number of small and rural hospitals that are found in 13 states in the USA. Currently, people in rural areas in 13 states can access several medical services, emergency and specialty service ( Klein & Hostetter, 2017) . With the use of videos and telephones, people in rural areas can access health care services all the time. More than 130 rural hospitals are now benefiting from the program, especially e-emergency services, which they use to address many challenges that affect people. At the same time, through Avera Health, patients in rural areas can access appropriate medicines because ePharmacy improves coordination between pharmacists in various hospitals due to the ease of accessing patient's records regardless of their geographical places. The program is effective in improving medical conditions in rural areas because millions of people can now access physicians and specialized health care services ( Klein & Hostetter, 2017) . It has also reduced the length of stay in hospitals while reducing health care cost. Besides, it has enhanced the quality of medical services.
Telehealth can also reduce the cost of running rural hospitals, leading to an overall reduction in the cost of health services. For instance, rural hospitals will not be required to employ medical specialists a permanently. On the contrary, they can only hire them when the demand for specialized medical services has increased. At the same time, rural hospitals will not have to employ many health professionals as some services can be offered remotely. Consequently, telehealth can reduce the cost of labor in rural hospitals without interfering with the quality of health care services. For instance, a study that was done in the United Kingdom (UK) revealed that telehealth could reduce the cost of offering specialized medical services like pediatric otolaryngology consultations by about 30%, which is a significant reduction ( Marcin, Shaikh & Steinhorn, 2016) . With the reduced cost hospital operations, many people in rural areas can afford and access quality health care services.
However, according to Stingley & Schultz (2014), even though telehealth improved medical conditions in rural communities, there are still many barriers that hinder the implementation of such programs in many areas. For instance, in the case of the USA, many telehealth services are not reimbursed by both Medicaid and Medicare. Medicare limits the reimbursement to hospitals that are based in rural communities. As a result, several health facilities in rural areas are not able to execute telehealth. Besides, the physician certification process makes it difficult for health professionals to offer care service through telehealth (Stingley & Schultz, 2014). It is now a requirement that physicians must be licensed in each state to be able to provide telehealth services, which can be tedious and straining to health professionals. The implementation of telehealth in rural communities, therefore, is still characterized by many challenges.
Conclusion
Telehealth has helped in improving medical conditions in rural communities significantly. A substantial number of people in rural communities are now able to access quality emergency and specialized medical services due to telehealth. Medical professionals do not have to travel a long distance to provide specialized services in rural areas. At the same time, telehealth has reduced the medical workforce in rural communities, leading to improved medical conditions. Besides, the cost of medical services in rural areas is reducing due to increased implementation of telehealth technology. However, the use of telehealth in rural communities still faces many challenges and barriers that hinder its effectiveness. Therefore, the government should partners with healthcare organizations like Avara Health to increase the use of telehealth in rural communities. Importantly, the government should provide financial support to buy hardware, software, and communication devices that are needed to implement telehealth in rural communities.
References
Klein, S. & Hostetter, M. (2017, March 30). Using Telemedicine to Increase Access, Improve Care in Rural Communities. Retrieved from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletter-article/2017/mar/using- telemedicine-increase-access-improve-care-rural
Marcin, J. P., Shaikh, U., & Steinhorn, R. H. (2016). Addressing health disparities in rural communities using telehealth. Pediatric Research , 79 (1-2), 169-175.
Neville, C. W. (2018). Telehealth: A Balanced Look at Incorporating this Technology into Practice. SAGE Open Nursing , 4 (2).
Stingley, S., & Schultz, H. (2014). Helmsley trust support for telehealth improves access to care in rural and frontier areas. Health Affairs, 33(2), 336–341 .
