Did you know that telemedicine has been around since the 1960s? It is first believed to be built by scientists at NASA for in order to monitor astronauts’ physiological parameters. Telemedicine has become an essential aspect of health care these days and people prefer to consult doctor online rather than visit the hospitals. Visits to hospitals are reserved only for unavoidable circumstances.
What the internet has done to the world is immense and now its contribution to the health care sector is the latest revolution. At a stage when governments are trying hard to allocate budgets to the health care sector, and when individuals have to plan their own budgets for their hospital expenses, the advent of telemedicine is something like a shot in the arm.
With numerous possibilities to cater to II-tier cities and to remote rural areas, telemedicine is now ruling the roost in the urban areas. It is only a matter of time till it trickles down to the rural areas. When the nation is talking about a cashless economy, there are literally no skeptics for the idea of remote health care. Moreover, the very idea of telemedicine is to bring health care to the homes of patients.
Nowadays, despite having many multispecialty hospitals in cities, it has become a nightmare for an individual to visit hospitals. The reason for this is the cumbersome commute that city dwellers have to face. Wading through bad roads and traffic congestion is certainly not worthwhile to consult a doctor for a minor aliment.
Apart from that, there is fierce competition in the private setup of health care industry. Each group of hospital wants to reach out to more and more people and in this effort they are ready to provide many medical services at patients’ homes. All this has resulted in an overwhelming acceptance of telemedicine and the result is that we have multiple options for keeping ourselves healthy!
Now, the question of how best to optimize this service crops up. When do I consult a doctor online and when do I have to visit a hospital? We have this question as there is no proper framework that defines the scope of telemedicine. The boundaries of a remote service and its counterpart, visits to a hospital are not laid out. So, this might create confusion in many patients.
As for telemedicine, it is best for consulting a doctor on a regular basis for minor ailments like fever, cold cough, infections of the stomach, urinary tract and for follow up consultations. It is best for the senior citizens who cannot frequently visit a hospital. It is also very effective for pregnant women and those who have just conceived.
When it comes to new approaches in integrated health care, CallHealth has come up unique approaches that make consulting doctors online a practical alternative. CallHealth provides video consultations with doctors, and during this consultation, a mobile health officer comes to the homes of patients to conduct a physical examination.
Apart from this, more than 400 diagnostic tests conducted from the comfort of the patients’ homes. So, there is not an iota of doubt that telemedicine is not an eyewash. Consult doctor online today!
