The Future of Medicine is Here

If you haven’t heard about telemedicine yet, you will soon. For those who don’t know, telemedicine is “the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunication technology.” In simple terms, it is the use of modern technology in order to provide interactive healthcare. It doesn’t take much to realize the amount of positives that can arise from telemedicine.

For example, imagine a person who suffers from chronic heart disease; say, they live outside the city and find it inconvenient to travel to their doctor’s office. Well, with telemedicine, the patient can talk with their doctor face-to-face through a secure and private internet connection. Not only does this lessen travel cost, it also ensures the patient isn’t exposed to further sickness. Two problems the patient would have more than likely run into without the service of telemedicine.

Imagine another situation, in which an elderly widow suffers from high blood pressure, which requires that her vitals be monitored. She needs to visit with her doctor; however, she doesn’t have the money or liveliness to make the trip. And thanks to the increase in telemedicine services, she won’t have to. Through the power of two-way internet video and remote patient monitoring devices, she can be managed by nurses in the comfort of her own home.

Telemedicine is predicted to reduce ER and hospital visits by nearly 70%. This is due to the fact that medical issues will be able to be monitored and treated on a frequent basis. This will ensure sicknesses be treated before becoming severe. InMedica predicts that by the year of 2017, 1.8 million patients around the globe will be served through telemedicine. By the year of 2018, it is predicted that 65 percent of all medical interactions will be completed through mobile devices. These statistics are nothing to laugh at. And it is becoming obvious the effects of telemedicine are being felt throughout the world.

IIA (Internet Innovation Alliance) Co-Chair, Bruce Mehlman, said it best, “High-speed Internet puts quality health care, a life-changing benefit, in reach, particularly for Americans that do not call an urban area home, expanding high-speed mobile broadband will, for example, provide greater emergency access to 911.”

Without a doubt, companies such as TruClinic are drastically changing the health care industry. With telemedicine allowing patients to set up appointments via an internet connection and webcam, you can expect waiting room lines to slowly vanish and quality and consistency of care to greatly increase.