With technology and internet advancement, even consultation with your doctor is now possible in the comfort of your home. The process is called telehealth or telemedicine. Telehealth is a method of taking advantage of the current technology to deliver health care services for more patients without in-person visitation to the medical facility.
Normally, when you need to schedule a medical appointment or for your doctor to diagnose you, you visit the nearest clinic or medical office near your place for a check-up. But many healthcare providers and doctors now offer a remote setup to attend to their patients. That being said, telehealth opens more doors for people like you to access their medical needs easily.
Aside from patients, even medical practitioners will have easier access to their training and learning with this advanced setup. With all that said, these advantages of telehealth in the medical industry will truly innovate healthcare worldwide.
1. Convenience and Flexibility
The availability of appointments during workdays makes telehealth a better option. Most of the time, employees must seek approval from their management if they can spare a few hours to attend a medical appointment. Aside from employees, even students also need to ask permission.
Those at home who have a lot of chores to do during the day also find it hard to arrange a schedule with their doctors. But with telehealth, there is no need for in-office appointments. Anyone needing medical care must not ask for approval, seek child or elder care, or make other excuses. Whether it is a checkup, diagnosis treatment, or follow-up consultation, you can now experience it remotely online.
You can schedule an appointment with a telehealth doctor. Some may even schedule you for a same-day consultation right after you connect with them. Aside from that, the process could also be via audio or video call, or whichever is more appropriate to check on you properly. During the pandemic, the number of in-office visits lessened to avoid potential exposure among patients.
Telehealth or telemedicine sessions between in-person visits helped compensate for schedule lapses during weekdays, which continue to these days. Additionally, telehealth services help medical providers remain on call after hours for billable sessions that do not require them to be in an office setting. Accordingly, it is convenient and time-efficient for patients and medical practitioners.
2. Improve Access to Healthcare Providers
Some patients are uncomfortable visiting clinics, hospitals, or medical facilities for personal reasons and preferences. These cases apply to those with conditions most people find shameful.
At the same time, others living far from any medical facilities also keep them from visiting medical offices. They may need to travel far or file a leave of absence for those who need longer treatment.
But since telehealth is becoming trendier, anyone has easy access to healthcare providers now, unlike before. Anytime or anywhere you are available, you can set a schedule with your telehealth doctor.
3. Lessen Financial Expenses
Telehealth services also help you save up on your day-to-day expenses. You may notice at first, but once a patient requires to visit regular medical appointments, other stuff adds to the medical-related expenses you need to spend.
Some additional expenses are car fuel if you own a vehicle, and transportation fare, which is more applicable if you live far from the clinic or the hospital. If your condition requires longer treatment, imagine how much you should spend to keep up with your medical bills and other responsibilities.
So instead of spending money on other expenses, you can have your doctor consultation via telehealth. That way, you can focus your finances on your medical bills, daily necessities, and other health-related stuff.
4. Reduce Stress
Regular visitation to your doctor may also cause you stress. For example, you may lose income for that day or use up all your sick leaves if you need to take time off work to visit a medical appointment.
Other factors that in-office medical visitations may also cause you are your time and availability. You may also worry about traffic and getting late for your appointment, especially if you live far from the clinic or the hospital.
With all these issues and concerns, you can now relax since you can attend your medical appointment in the comfort of your home and at the most convenient time. It is also worth mentioning that since you can reduce your stress, you can also take care of your well-being.
5. Continuous Care And Follow Up Appointments
Admit it; you probably forgot or intentionally skipped a follow-up appointment with your doctor. It often happens if your case is not severe, or you may only need to return to get your results.
Since you already find out your condition is okay, you may think that disregarding a follow-up consultation is also fine. But regardless of the severity of your condition, it is essential to maintain good communication with your healthcare provider to monitor your health status.
Similar to the abovementioned hindrances of you visiting a clinic or a hospital for regular checkups, your doctor might be unable to monitor your condition fully. With telehealth services, it is easier now to conduct follow-up appointments without the need to travel to your doctor. Your doctor can easily discuss your health status online, such as laboratory test results, without needing you to return to the office.
Anytime you want, you can also follow up with your doctor if you suddenly feel sick again. Plus, your doctor can also recommend to you online the medicines you need to take or other necessary exercises you must do to improve your condition once again.
Schedule An Online Medical Appointment Today
The advantages of telehealth opportunities benefit patients, doctors, and hospitals. As the number of apps, devices, services, and tools increases, they can improve healthcare procedures in every medical discipline.
So whenever you need to book a medical appointment, you can try telehealth and experience the most innovative way of caring for your health.
Reference:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/telehealth-the-advantages-and-disadvantages
https://blog.cureatr.com/8-advantages-benefits-telehealth
https://www.greenwayhealth.com/knowledge-center/greenway-blog/telehealth-benefits-9-advantages
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7577680/
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/8-benefits-telehealth