{"id":4065,"date":"2017-09-05T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T08:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.viamedic.com\/blog\/?p=4065"},"modified":"2017-09-05T08:00:26","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T08:00:26","slug":"can-telemedicine-compete-with-the-human-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/can-telemedicine-compete-with-the-human-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Telemedicine Compete with the Human Touch?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Telemedicine\"<\/a>Using cutting-edge telecommunications and diagnostic technologies, telemedicine brings professional medical care to patients who might otherwise be unable to avail themselves of such services. Whether they live in remote rural areas far from the nearest doctor or are stricken by illness in the middle of the night or during the weekend, telemedicine can help to address their immediate needs, stabilize them if necessary, and refer them to appropriate medical services for follow-up care.<\/p>\n

Obviously missing from the telemedicine encounter is the human touch one might expect from a typical in-person visit to a doctor\u2019s office. Is this missing ingredient a fatal flaw in the telemedicine equation? It\u2019s unlikely to matter much to the worried mother seeking immediate help for an infant with a high fever or a disabled patient unable to visit the doctor in person. In many cases, the patient\u2019s choice is to consult a doctor via telemedicine or not at all. Given those stark options, a telemedicine consultation is the welcome choice of most such patients.<\/p>\n

Where Telemedicine Excels<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that telemedicine performs better in some disciplines of medical care than others. Because talk therapy is usually at the heart of psychological counseling, mental health services are handled well via telemedicine. Dermatologic consultations also adapt well to the telemedicine model, given the high-resolution teleconferencing technology that allows the doctor to closely examine skin lesions and eruptions from a remote location.<\/p>\n

For emergency care, particularly that offered to patients living some distance from the nearest medical center or hospital, telemedicine offers an excellent screening tool but almost never the final solution. The doctor, located remotely from the patient, can quickly assess the nature of the medical emergency and suggest a plan of action or even summon emergency medical transport if warranted.<\/p>\n

Not Yet Reducing Overall Costs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Telemedicine has grown rapidly in recent years but thus far has failed to fulfill one of its early promises: the reduction of overall health care spending by substituting less expensive virtual visits for most costly in-person visits to the doctor or hospital. A recent study, published in the March 2017 issue of \u201cHealth Affairs,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 found that only 12 percent of direct-to-consumer telehealth visits replaced traditional visits to health care providers. \u00a0The remaining 88 percent represented brand new utilization of health care services that conceivably would have gone unmet were it not for the availability of telemedicine.<\/p>\n

\"Telemedicine\"
One of the major advantages of telemedicine is its ability to draw on the expertise of medical specialists at big city medical centers far from the patient’s bedside.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The study, conducted by RAND Corporation policy researchers and other health policy experts, found that telemedicine\u2019s \u201cincreased convenience may tap into unmet demand for health care, and new utilization may increase overall health care spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

Telemedicine\u2019s Benefits Reviewed<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smith & Jones, a health care marketing agency based in upstate New York, recently took a look at the pros and cons of telemedicine from the viewpoint of medical professionals. On the positive side, they found that:<\/p>\n