The COVID–19 pandemic has brought telemedicine to the forefront of the public’s attention. Telemedicine seems like a wonderful new way to deliver medical advice, but in fact, telemedicine has been in use for decades. It has been used successfully to help patients located in remote settings who are unable to access in-person medical care, such as soldiers in combat settings, patients in rural locations, and patients who need advice from specialists located in another part of the world.
Benefits Of Telemedicine
Telemedicine does not replace the need for in-person visits to a health care provider for emergency treatments. Although telemedicine is primarily a supplement to traditional in-person visits, it is well-suited for the overall management of a patient’s health and offers many benefits. Here are just a few:
Virtual Consultations & Examinations
Through your computer, you can connect to health care providers who are located anywhere in the world. From your own home, office, or anywhere you have access to the internet, you will be able to see, hear, and talk to a health care professional. They can conduct a visual examination of you almost as if you are physically in their office. If you need a physical examination or medical test, you can be referred based on the virtual examination.
It is an ideal way for you and your healthcare provider to monitor how well you are managing any chronic conditions, to have a prescription refilled, and to monitor the progress of your recovery from a medical treatment, or an illness or an injury.
Added Convenience
Not every consultation with your health care provider requires an in-person visit. Telemedicine provides a convenient solution to avoid interrupting your schedule to travel to and wait in the doctor’s office for a minor problem. The health care provider gets to communicate with the patient, and the patient can avoid taking time out of a busy schedule to do it.
For patients with limited mobility, expectant mothers, or anyone caring for children in the home, this is an invaluable benefit. Those patients can keep their doctor’s appointments without having to deal with challenging transportation issues or finding a babysitter in order to keep their appointments.
What Happens During a Telemedicine Appointment?
Your health care provider will use a secure video-conferencing application developed specifically for health care providers. Once you schedule the appointment, your health care provider will send you a secure, HIPAA-compliant link to access the appointment.
Appear In Front Of The Healthcare Provider
Once you access the virtual appointment through the link provided, you will find a telemedicine appointment is very similar to any other online meeting. You, as the patient, will sit in front of your computer or online camera. Your own image will appear on the screen along with the image of your healthcare provider(s). If you want to have a friend or family member with you during the appointment, you are free to do so just like you would in an in-person visit.
Questions & Data Collection
Your health care provider team will initiate the meeting by asking you questions about your health issues and discussing them with you in detail. If you are a patient who uses mobile medical equipment, the health care provider can monitor and collect data on your blood pressure, blood sugar levels, heartbeat, and other vital health signs.
Reviewing & Submitting Medications
For a patient who needs a prescription or a prescription refill, such as a birth control prescription, your health care provider can conduct a virtual visit and call in the prescription to your preferred pharmacy. An in-person visit is not necessarily required for this service.
Telemedicine In Reproductive & Women’s Health
In women’s health, telemedicine can enhance the delivery of health care in a wide range of services, including contraception, menopausal management, and treating sexually transmitted diseases.
Pregnancy & Prenatal Care
For pregnancy and prenatal care, pregnant women can be monitored from home using telemedicine. Their health care provider can keep up with the mother’s health and the progress of the pregnancy, and through mobile medical equipment can monitor blood pressure, fetal heart rate, fundal height, blood sugar, and other vital signs.
The convenience of using telemedicine can make it easier for pregnant mothers to keep up with regular appointments, identify potential issues, and manage developing health conditions before they become serious.
Abnormal Situations
In abnormal situations, telemedicine can facilitate better outcomes. For example, telemedicine enables the health care provider to monitor blood glucose in diabetic pregnancies. The results of using telemedicine in these cases have shown improved glycemic control in them, with better fetal and maternal outcomes.
Reach Out To Raleigh Gynecology & Wellness
Talk to the women’s health experts at Raleigh Gynecology & Wellness about the telemedicine services we offer. Our helpful practice administrators will be happy to describe all the services we offer, and particularly how telemedicine can help save you time and money while improving your health management overall. Contact Raleigh Gynecology for more information by calling 919.636.6670 or schedule an appointment online.