It allows us to connect a patient to a doctor and it allows us to erase time and distance which is really the miracle of telemedicine.  Quote by Jay Robbins, Director of Telehealth, Tlft regional.

The above quotation beautifully sums up telehealth and its popularity with time. What exactly is telehealth?  The answer is that it is the use of various digital and communication technologies such as computers, laptops, mobile phones to connect medical professionals & patients in remote locations and homes for managing various health issues, without meeting in person (face to face). A basic form of telehealth has been in use in Australia for years to manage the health of rural communities in the great outback especially in the western parts of the country. Telehealth is now the buzzword the world over due to the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the need for everyone to step out less to avoid catching the virus.

The goals of telehealth services are
Make health care easily available to rural or isolated communities
Make health service readily available to senior citizens, differently-abled, with limited mobility, time or transport issues
Provide medical advice and care during the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to isolate & stay safe
Access to medical specialists

Telehealth services are used for the following purposes:
Virtual appointments between patients and health professionals
Remote monitoring of a patient’s health by the relevant health professional/team
Consultations between the primary care doctor/nurse and specialists

Modern-day technology can now be harnessed in times like the current pandemic to reach out to the elderly and the vulnerable to provide adequate care & comfort. It is a game-changer and improves the quality of medical care one deserves & requires. It provides ample opportunities to make the overall system more efficient, coordinated, and provide customized care at home. Since medical professionals are under pressure due to the Covid-19 situation and the elderly are advised to avoid social contacts as much as possible, telehealth services are the best and easiest solution for all.

Ms. Catherine Treece, 75 years and a resident of Kent County, Michigan had runny eyes for a couple of weeks in May, which also itched, which made her life uncomfortable. She was reluctant to step out to visit an ophthalmologist’s clinic to get it checked out. Her family put her in touch for a consultation with an ophthalmologist via a live video call. The doctor was able to virtually diagnose her condition as a minor allergy and prescribed her some eye drops for the same.  Within two weeks of the diagnosis and daily use of the eye drops, Ms. Treeces condition was addressed and her eyes are back to normal. This is the power of telehealth services at home.

Telehealth services are growing by leaps & bounds thanks to the current pandemic and the various advantages of this service. For example, telehealth support to patients with heart conditions has reduced the mortality rate, re-hospitalization as well as an improvement in their quality of life.  To sum it up, Telehealth is the future of modern medicine which needs to be embraced by all because of its many benefits.