The term ‘Telehealth’ also interchangeably known as ‘Telemedicine’ means to provide healthcare through technology. Telehealth delivers virtual services for education, medical and health as it includes a wide range of technologies and tactics. It is an assemblage of means to elevate care and delivery of education service through technology.
As the ageing population, to prolong life medical advances are made and healthcare system demand rises. Telehealth comprises the allotment of health related services. The distribution is through technology which grants long distance clinicians, advice, monitoring, interventions, remote admissions, care and support and also render distance-learning, presentations among practitioners, supervision and meetings.
Telehealth includes:
History of Telehealth
The growth of Telehealth is profoundly rooted in the development of society and not merely technology. Optical telegraphy, wireless transmissions, electroscopes and torches were used by humans to relay imperative messages. As the modern age came into being so did the portable devices, internet and other digital devices come along which also play a necessary role in Telehealth. As traditional medicine confides in in-person care, the demand for remote care has prevailed since the Roman period.
The old and the infirm people who were unable to stopover temples for medical care would send reps with their complaints in order for them to return with diagnosis and treatments.
Methods
Telehealth stands in need of good maintenance of a strong and dependable broadband connection of which signal transmissions infrastructure consists of cables, optic fibers, wires and microwaves which is essential for the equipping of telehealth services. The amount of data that can be sent and received depends upon how strong the connection is. Besides just the resources being available to the needful patients there are other steps to be taken into consideration when a healthcare center decides to provide telehealth to their patients. Once the need of telehealth has been encountered, its delivery comes in various distinct domains which include mobile-health, live-video (synchronous), remote patient monitoring and store-and-forward (asynchronous).Live video is a real-time interaction over a digital connection which is two-way in order to replace face-to-face consultation. Store-and-forwardis regarding the data that is to be collected and recorded lie the notes of the patients and x-rays and then forwarded to a provider. Remote patient monitoringis when the collected data of a patient is forwarded to a provider elsewhere to keep continuous record of the patient and monitor any changes that occur.Mobile Health includes various information regarding education or services related to medical, support and care through mobile communication devices like cell phones and tablets.
Telehealth being a modern form of health care delivery strays away from health care delivery that used traditional methods as it includes wireless communication which is said to be a major development in Telehealth. Advancement of health using Telehealth has become immensely popular in countries that are underdeveloped and have poor physical resources available.