Telehealth 101

You may have heard the term "telehealth" on the news or in passing and wondered just what that means.  Telehealth is basically exactly what the word implies, it's a form of health care performed via a telecommunications platform.  The official definition of telehealth is "a collection of means or methods for enhancing health care, public health, and health education delivery and support using telecommunication technologies."  Telehealth enables health care providers to bring their services to someone who may not be able to visit them in person.  Some of the fields utilizing this emerging technology are counseling, physical and occupational therapy and chronic disease monitoring and management.  

You may be asking how do providers utilize the technology to assist their patients?  Let's use counseling as an example.  Social Workers who run support groups may offer their services to those that need support via an online forum.  If those that want to participate in the support group have a computer with a web camera and microphone they can use software such as Adobe Connect to sign into an online session.  This would enable those unable to attend a session in person due to transportation or scheduling issues the ability to attend remotely.  This benefits both the Social Worker and the patient.  Telehealth technology provides Social Workers who offer support groups the ability to reach more patients and those that would benefit from the services.  It benefits the patients as they may have a particular need for support but there are no support groups within a reasonable driving distance from their home.  Overall, if a person is seeking support from a support group the ability to find a group of people who are experiencing a similar situation will make them feel less alone.  How does this differ from an online chat?  Well, it is proctored by a licensed Social Worker and therefore is a more structured environment for that patient.

Telehealth can benefit health care providers as well as patients.  Providers are able to expand their client base and offer flexible appointment times to those that require their services.  Providers may also save on operating costs in the form of rent and salaries.  Telehealth would enable a therapist to operate a practice from home and offer online appointments only.  She can utilize an on-line scheduling system for patients to schedule their appointments and use a service such as PayPal to collect payment.  Telehealth benefits patients in a similar manner.  Patients can save on gas costs and schedule appointments that enable them to be home with their family or even during their lunch break at work.

Telehealth is an emerging technology that has the potential to improve the lives of those who utilize the service.  Just as many colleges and universities are embracing online degree programs, many health care providers are starting to embrace telecommunications to provide care to patients.