We’re living in unprecedented times. The spread of COVID-19 across the world means that healthcare facilities are under pressure like never before. Governments are doing everything they can to reduce this burden, including urging people to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary to go out. But what does this mean for those of us who need access to a doctor?
Thankfully, measures have been put in place to provide people in remote areas with access to medical care. Today, we can make use of these measures – known as telemedicine - to get information to housebound patients who need care and support for minor, but urgent, issues. Telemedicine was developed in the US in the mid-19th century as a way to provide care to those who lived too far away from medical facilities. At its core, telemedicine is the exchange of medical information from one location to another via electronic communications (think email, radio, or any number of video messaging services such as Skype).
As we work to get COVID-19 under control, telemedicine can offer patients, and doctors, a range of benefits. Patients can gain access to the information and specialists they need without having to step outside. Many telemedicine services, such as NHS 111 in the UK or The 247 Doc in the US, offer round-the-clock access to care, with on-call advisors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and doctors. Video consultations mean you still get the face-to-face experience as well as instant responses to questions or concerns. For doctors, it means they can observe a patient’s symptoms first-hand, making it easier to form a diagnosis. They can then quickly share this information with other relevant specialists to draw up a treatment plan or offer advice on how best to alleviate symptoms or pain at home.
But what do you do if it’s more than just a quick check up or if you need continual care? The development of remote monitoring systems solves this issue. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) involves installing mobile medical devices and technologies in a patient’s home from which a healthcare professional can then receive regular updates on a patient’s status. Information on vital signs, weight, blood pressure and heart rate can be collected and sent, via computer, to a doctor for analysis.
There are drawbacks to telemedicine. Removing the in-person element makes it difficult to perform more complex medical diagnoses and procedures, or to administer medicines. However, in this time of uncertainty, when the need for social distancing remains high, telemedicine offers a solution for patients who require medical support. By providing online alternatives, we can keep hospital and GP visits to a minimum, freeing up medical resources to treat COVID-19 patients and to find a cure for this new virus.