Telemedicine offers increased access to professional medical care and advice to people of all ages. However, it may prove especially helpful to younger women, many of whom are struggling with important health issues that otherwise might go unattended and unresolved.
In an insightful article posted recently at TheModerateVoice.com, writer Holly Whitman sees an opportunity for telemedicine’s unique technologies to fill a significant gap in women’s health care. Such a gap, writes Whitman, stems in large part from the reluctance of some women to frankly discuss critical health matters because of fears that they will be judged harshly for questions addressing such matters as sex, alcohol use, extreme sports, and the use of recreational drugs.
Outdated Notions of How Women Should Act
Such fears, whether justified or not, says Whitman, can be attributed to the “outdated, yet still rampant, belief that young women should fit into a modest, unrealistically innocent mold. . . .” Thus hesitant to risk exposure to such judgmental behavior, many women, particularly younger women, simply do not discuss these critical lifestyle questions frankly with their doctors and specialists.
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What Is Telemedicine?
Telemedicine, as defined by the American Telemedicine Association, is “the remote delivery of healthcare services and clinical information using telecommunications technology.” Such technology ranges from simple telephone contact to highly sophisticated consultations using videoconferencing technology enhanced by the attachment of cutting-edge diagnostic devices. ATA is a U.S.-based, nonprofit association with more than 10,000 members, including telemedicine industry leaders and health care professionals.
While it’s clear that telemedicine is not intended as a replacement for in-person consultation with your doctor and other medical specialists, it does offer patients a wide range of benefits that were not previously available. As Whitman points out, telemedicine technologies enable a patient to:
- Get informed answers to medical questions rather than rely on sometimes-questionable online research.
- Obtain and easily refill prescriptions.
- Get professional medical help at any hour, even though local doctors’ offices may be closed.
- Obtain standard clinical services from the comfort of the patient’s own home.
- Learn whether the patient’s medical complaint or question requires an immediate visit to an emergency medical facility.
- Get vital medical services at a lower cost than would be charged for traditional in-person care.
- Avoid risking the judgment and questions that might be raised by local residents.
Much Remains to Be Done
Although state legal and regulatory barriers to the expansion of telemedicine services have been falling as consumer demand for such services increases, much more needs to be done to make it as easy to use telemedicine services as it is to access in-person health care services.
During his campaign, President-elect Donald J. Trump said that telemedicine was one important way in which U.S. veterans — both men and women — can more readily receive the health care treatment they deserve and have been promised. In a July 2016, statement about his plans to upgrade services offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump said, “Caregivers should be able to easily streamline treatment plans across departments and utilize telehealth tools to better serve their patients.”
Clinton Saw Vital Role for Telemedicine
Equally outspoken about the need to expand, rather than limit, consumer access to telemedicine, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary R. Clinton pointed out that telemedicine can ease some of the concern about the surge in closures of rural medical centers and hospitals. However, to facilitate the growth of telemedicine, Clinton called for a streamlined procedure for licensing doctors to practice across state lines and expanded Medicare reimbursement for telemedicine services.
For women, particularly those located in remote locations, a growing national network of telemedicine providers offers ready access not only to routine health care but also to a broad array of specialists, such as gynecologists, obstetricians, and others dedicated to women’s health matters.
How Telemedicine Benefits Women
Access to such health care services is an obvious boon to women who would otherwise have to travel long distances to visit medical professionals in person. However, it also offers a somewhat more comfortable approach to certain areas of health care that a woman might find embarrassed discussing face to face with a doctor or specialist, particularly one whom they see on a regular basis. From the comfort of their homes, they can get the answers to questions about sensitive areas of their health that they might be hesitant to raise with their regular health care providers.
In her overview of telemedicine’s benefits for women, Whitman acknowledges that telemedicine isn’t a panacea for every conceivable ailment. However, she points out that “it has opened the door for many to access health care services that were previously unavailable to them, particularly those living in remote or conservative areas.”
If you would like to learn more about telemedicine and other current developments from the consumer health front, check out our blog.
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