The terms “telehealth” and “telemedicine” are commonly used interchangeably. This is fine, according to many blogs and posts, as well as major healthcare organizations.
However, the terms have different meanings, and after reading this blog by MedleyMed, you’ll know how to use them successfully – and why.
Telehealth is a subset of E-Health, which includes the dissemination of health information to health professionals and consumers via the internet and telecommunications, as well as health worker education and training, and health system management.
Telehealth is a broad term that encompasses a variety of technologies and services that are utilized to enhance patient care and improve the entire healthcare delivery system. Telehealth differs from Telemedicine in that it covers a wider spectrum of remote medical services. Telehealth can relate to non-clinical services such as provider training, administrative meetings, and continuing medical education in addition to clinical care. The World Health Organization defines telehealth as “monitoring, health promotion, and public health duties.”
It’s also worth noting that the WHO uses the term “telematics” to introduce a new concept into the mix. According to them, “telematics for health” is a term that encompasses both telemedicine and Telehealth, as well as any health-related activity carried out at a distance utilizing information communication technology.
To summarise, telemedicine is the same as telehealth, but telehealth isn’t the same as telemedicine. Both are part of a larger effort to improve access to care, simplify patient health management, and increase the efficiency of the healthcare delivery network. Chiron Health specializes in software that allows doctors to use telemedicine while still receiving payment.
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Is there a distinction to be made between telemedicine and telehealth?
Let’s look at an example to see what the difference is:
Scenario 1: You get a sore throat at home and call a doctor or go online to receive a diagnosis and possibly a medication.
Scenario 2: You’re in the hospital, and an internet-based physician diagnoses you.
Is there a distinction between telehealth and telemedicine, or can either term be used to describe both? Is it that important?
The first scenario is telehealth, which is a broad term that refers to any type of health care offered via telecommunications technology to customers in their homes.
Telemedicine, on the other hand, is a more precise term for the clinical application of distant technology. That is, it occurs in a clinical context, most often a hospital, with the help of other clinical workers, diagnostic equipment, and patient health information. According to these definitions, telemedicine is one of many types of telehealth.
Let’s take a closer look at the differences.
The main difference between telehealth and telemedicine is that telehealth encompasses a broader spectrum of remote healthcare services. Telemedicine refers to remote clinical services, while telehealth encompasses both clinical and non-clinical services.
Telemedicine entails the exchange of medical information between the service provider and the patient, whereas telehealth includes, among other things, medical professional education and general administrative practice.
Telemedicine is utilized in several different situations, including:
People are using videoconferencing platforms to diagnose, treat, and possibly prevent diseases and injuries.
Ultrasound reports, test results, and other relevant information are disseminated around the team.
Follow-up counseling, especially after surgery or a stay in the hospital.
Remote counseling, monitoring, and management of a chronic illness are all possible.
Telehealth, on the other hand, encompasses the following:
We offer diagnosis, counseling, and consultation as well as other services.
Observation from distant
Remote physical and mental therapy sessions
Medical practitioners are educated in a certain field.
The results and reports are discussed and evaluated.
Telemedicine can be offered in three different ways:
1- Remote Patient Monitoring:
Which includes HRS patients utilizing Bluetooth biometrics to record their vitals via remote patient monitoring. Their provider keeps track of these vitals in real-time via HRS’ Clinician Connect dashboard or, in some situations, directly within their EMR.
2- Interactive Patient Care:
Patient-provider communication is both live and interactive. Phone consultations, video examinations, secure consultations, and so on are all examples of this. ICP is used by HRS customers and patients when they use the HRS platform’s video visit feature on the mobile app, tablet, or, for doctors, directly from the clinical dashboard.
3- Store & Forward:
Which is enabled with the asynchronous picture, video, and sound capture and transmission. When using the wound imaging capabilities on the HRS tablet and mobile application, patients on the HRS platform use store and forward technology. The patient snaps a photo of the wound, which is then sent to ClinicianConnect for review by the clinician.
Telemedicine accounts for the majority of RPM since it is directly linked to clinical patient care, such as chronic sickness treatment. However, it is not telemedicine if a researcher gathers daily step counts from a wearable device solely for the purpose of supporting a research project.
In a nutshell, telemedicine refers to clinical patient care, whereas telehealth refers to educational, administrative, and non-clinical healthcare operations.
Telemedicine is interchangeable with telehealth, while telehealth is not interchangeable with telemedicine. Nonetheless, expanding access to remote clinical services, simplifying patient health management, and improving patient health and the efficiency of the MedleyMed healthcare delivery system, both contribute to the wider goal of enhancing patient health and the efficiency of our healthcare delivery system.
And, as the enabling telecommunication technologies continue to progress at a breakneck pace, there’s little doubt that we’re witnessing an exciting reinvention of healthcare delivery that connects patients with their care teams regardless of distance or mobility.
Though the components of telemedicine and telehealth differ, they both aim to make remote clinical services more accessible, improve patient health management, and improve the overall efficiency of the healthcare delivery system. Despite the fact that state licensing and other regulatory laws differ, service providers are putting forth an effort to address sensitive issues such as patient discomfort and privacy concerns.
So, get yourself the best telemedicine care in India now.