Introduction:
Telehealth refers to the delivery of healthcare services through telecommunications technology, enabling remote consultations, diagnoses, and patient monitoring. This is especially valuable for individuals in underserved areas, such as an elderly woman from rural France who can schedule a telehealth appointment with a specialised incontinence nurse in Paris.
During the session, the doctor can identify the specific type of incontinence and provide personalised advice tailored to the patient’s needs, ensuring effective care despite the distance. The nurse might also guide the woman in using tools like a bladder diary app to track symptoms and monitor progress at home.
In summary, telehealth and home diagnostic equipment create a powerful tool that can save lives from the comfort of your home.
Evolution of Remote Care: From Necessity to Norm
According to the Europe PMC, telehealth was initially underutilised until the pandemic struck. The pandemic necessitated social distancing, and this was made possible by telehealth. Patients began to demand at-home care services, and this also resulted in the development of smart home diagnostic tools.
For example, smart tools such as blood glucose monitors and blood pressure cuffs became more commonly used. These tools could be integrated with telehealth applications for real-time data sharing between doctors and patients.
This resulted in better patient-centered care that prioritised convenience and accessibility. Over time, patients began to use these technologies and adopted them as a daily norm.
How Telehealth and Home Diagnostics Integrate: Creating a Connected Care Experience
Technology integration offers more than convenience. It is about establishing a continuous and data-driven relationship between patients and healthcare providers using technology. Some of the technologies being used in the telehealth world include the use of wearables and mobile health apps.
Wearables such as smartwatches with ECG monitoring capabilities can be used to detect falls and the likelihood of heart attacks. This is especially so when dealing with the elderly.
To improve the quality of healthcare, the wearables are connected to the telehealth system to ensure that the readings are seen in real time by a doctor.
Other important tools include Bluetooth-enabled diagnostic kits such as blood pressure cuffs and oxygen saturation monitors. These kits also transmit data directly to a clinic remotely.
Data Synchronisation and Real World Application
For telehealth to be effective, there must be data synchronisation with diagnostic kits. The diagnostic kits need to be able to connect directly with the electronic health records of the patient. This way, using technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, automatic alerts are made if abnormal data is detected.
An example of this is when a patient with type 2 diabetes uses a smart glucose meter to measure the amount of sugar in the blood. The glucose meter will automatically record the patient’s glucose levels, and if they exceed safe levels, an automated alert will be made.
The alert will be sent to the doctor, who will then schedule a virtual consultation with the patient. Through this virtual consultation, the patient will be advised on what medication to use.
Benefits for Patients and Healthcare Systems
Telehealth has numerous benefits for both patients and healthcare systems. One benefit for patients is that they benefit from improved access to better care. This is especially so for rural patients who do not have the ability to travel to the city to meet specialists. Apart from rural patients, the elderly also benefit as they mostly suffer from mobility-related challenges.
Another benefit is that telehealth has made it easier to manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. This is because telehealth platforms can integrate with home diagnostic tools for real-time vital tracking and early detection of complications.
In addition, telehealth helps reduce hospital admissions and readmissions. This is because telehealth makes it possible for patients to recover remotely. Also, because the arrangement offers convenience, patients are more likely to feel satisfied with the services offered.
Lastly, both patients and hospitals save money. Patients save money because they will avoid unnecessary travel to hospitals and money lost during time off work. On the other hand, hospitals save money because they reduce costs related to overstaffing and general administrative overhead costs.
Challenges Affecting the Adoption of Telehealth
Though telehealth has its advantages, there are challenges to its use and adoption throughout the world. One of these challenges is digital literacy and health equity. According to a study by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, there is a big digital skill gap in the country. For example, 1 in 6 people are not able to use basic digital tools such as Google or email.
The digital gap also affects rural citizens more than those living in urban centers. To deal with this problem, more training is needed in partnership with community-based programs. Other challenges affecting the use of telehealth are:
Data Privacy and Legal Frameworks
Telehealth relies heavily on the transmission and storage of sensitive health information. Health data needs to be stored and processed based on various laws such as the GDPR and HIPAA. Therefore, telehealth providers need to ensure data is protected from unauthorised use and it is encrypted due to increased attacks on the healthcare industry.
Device Compatibility
The telehealth sector is fragmented, with hundreds of vendors offering diagnostic tools and wearable devices. This equipment often lacks interoperability, which hinders coordination and communication with Electronic Health Systems. As a result, some devices might not work with the selected vendor.
To solve this problem, there needs to be a global standard for data formatting and transmission. The government also needs to come up with a policy for the establishment of Open APIS.
In conclusion, by integrating smart diagnostic tools with telehealth platforms, healthcare shifts from a reactive to a proactive and personalised approach. Patients save on money and comfort, while healthcare systems become more efficient and cost-effective to run.
