The Digital Doctor: How Telehealth is Transforming Healthcare

ASHAAR BAKSHI – For decades, healthcare has been an engaging, in-person experience. Whether that includes visiting your doctor for yearly checkups or meeting with a therapist once a week to work through conflicts, the face-to-face interaction of healthcare has been a foundational aspect. However, the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a significant shift, moving healthcare into a digital realm and giving birth to telehealth—a new frontier in medical service delivery. 

According to Harvard Medical School, Telehealth is defined as “the delivery of health care services at a distance through the use of technology.” Telehealth is a broad term that encapsulates many practices, including virtual medical visits, communication between doctor and patient, remote monitoring of health signs, and even education and training for healthcare providers.

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of telehealth is increasing access to healthcare, especially in rural areas. The NIH found that Telehealth removes the obstacle of mobilization or travel to a local clinic, and greatly streamlines healthcare. This is closely tied to the cost reduction that telehealth offers, as patients don’t have to spend money on transportation to and from healthcare facilities. Patients no longer need to take time off work or arrange for childcare to attend appointments, but can instead receive care from the comfort of their homes. Moreover, telehealth enhances the management of patient recovery, allowing healthcare providers to monitor progress and check in with their patients more often. In turn, telehealth empowers patients to play a more active role in their health. By using apps and online platforms to log their symptoms and recovery progress, individuals become more engaged in their health. 

Telehealth proved to be extremely useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it allows for healthcare services without increasing the spread of germs and infection. Going to the doctor’s office entails sitting in close quarters with others, such as in the waiting rooms, and easily causes infection; this is especially dangerous for people who have chronic medical problems or are immunocompromised. The use of virtual healthcare allows patients to avoid contact with others while still receiving medical care and support from healthcare professionals. 

Despite these numerous benefits, telehealth does not come without its challenges. Telehealth will never fully be able to replace healthcare, as many medical visits require physical diagnosis, blood tests, imaging, or procedures. Many people have reported that their greatest fears with telemedicine revolve around patient confidentiality and the security of information. With technology greatly rising, there are many risks of data breaches and hacking of personal information. Additionally, there is something to be said about physical interactions with your healthcare provider; many report that telehealth loses the in-person, authentic interaction between a patient and healthcare provider and it takes longer to build that level of trust. Especially in the field of therapy, many report that they have a harder time building trusting and open relationships when their therapist is on a computer screen. 

Looking ahead, telehealth is expected to play an increasingly important role in healthcare. Innovations in software are already using natural language processing to take notes automatically for doctors and complete other tedious tasks. Additionally, more telehealth apps and databases are being created, to assist patients with consistently logging health information and vitals. With the drastic increase in technology in today’s world, telehealth is revolutionizing the field of medicine and changing the way we think about and engage with our health.

Copy Editor – Pablo Ashi

Photography Source – https://www.amnhealthcare.com/amn-insights/technology/blog/telehealth-people-and-innovation/