What is Telemedicine?

Technological advancements have made virtual doctor-patient sessions possible through the process defined as telemedicine. Scholars, therefore, describe telemedicine as the delivery of physician consultation services to their patients via telecommunications infrastructure to save on the time spent during waiting for inpatient visits at clinics and hospitals. A study conducted by Young, Gupta, and Palacios (2018) was thus aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of telemedicine with regards to reducing the long wait times experienced in hospital wherein patients queue and acquire consultations in turn. This study was conducted in a pediatric setup as the aim of the research was to determine the role of telemedicine in reducing long wait times. 

The scholars found that mental hospitals experience a shortage of pediatricians as they are often understaffed and hence, the long queues experienced when waiting to see a doctor (Young et al., 2018). Telemedicine, however, has played a significant role in easing the burden as virtual consultations are more effective and time-saving as well as more accessible as compared to transportation to hospitals. The methods used included an evaluation of data obtained from both virtual consultations with doctors and in person visits as well as satisfaction scores that were collected. The results revealed a high satisfaction of patients by virtual visits hence leading the scholars to conclude that virtual visits are crucial for efficiency when conducting doctor-patient visits while consequently reducing waiting time and maximizing patient satisfaction and the quality of services delivered. 

Questions developed regarding the topic include: 

"What time of technical support does the practice of telemedicine require?" 

"How can telemedicine be integrated into current practices in areas such as the ER?" 

References 

Young, K., Gupta, A., & Palacios, R. (2018). Impact of Telemedicine in Pediatric Postoperative Care.  Telemedicine and e-Health .