Page 10 - Inspirations2

When you’re feeling well or you have questions about
your health, you schedule an appointment with your
primary care physician. If it’s after-hours, you may
head to an urgent care clinic. Lately, during the height
of the COVID19 outbreak, your options have expanded
to something called, Telemedicine and Telehealth.
Through telemedicine services, you can receive
medical advice anytime, anywhere, without leaving the
your home.
The difference between telemedicine and telehealth.
The basics of telemedicine The terms telemedicine and telehealth sound the same,
Since the 1950s, healthcare providers have been but they have a definite difference between them
offering remote services. This allows patients to receive
healthcare without leaving their home, office, dorm The World Health Organization (WHO) defines
room, hotel, or beyond. Telemedicine first began on telemedicine as “healing from a distance.” This gives
landline telephones. With the advancement of you the freedom to receive treatment without needing
technology, telemedicine includes online portals to schedule an appointment with your physician or go
managed by your doctor’s office, as well as affordable to their office for medical services.
telemedicine platforms you can use directly without
insurance. The telemedicine platform allows you to HealthIT.gov defines telehealth as “the utilization of
discuss symptoms, medical issues, and more with a electronic information and telecommunications
healthcare provider in real-time. You can receive a technologies to support and promote long-distance
diagnosis, learn your treatment options, and get a clinical healthcare, patient and professional health
prescription. In cases where it’s necessary, healthcare education, public health and health administration.
providers can even monitor readings from medical
devices remotely to keep an eye on your condition.

There are 3 common types of telemedicine:
• Interactive medicine: Also called “live telemedicine,”

this is when physicians and patients communicate
in real time.
• Remote patient monitoring: This allows caregivers
to monitor patients who use mobile medical
equipment to collect data on things like blood
pressure, blood sugar levels, etc.
Store and forward: Providers can share a patient’s
health information with other healthcare professionals
or specialists.

Page 9 Inspirations Magazine | Spring