Managing Chronic Illness with Telemedicine:
A Patient Guide to Better Virtual Care
ABOUT THE BOOK
Chronic disease management is very difficult, expensive and a serious burden to the population, resources, and healthcare skills development and various issues that may negatively impact a country’s health system.
The ongoing pandemic crisis has exposed faults in healthcare management, even in developed nations. Due to re-allocation of resources and personnel, it seems that interest in effective disease management (not related to coronavirus infections) Has severely affected the much-needed management of patients with chronic illnesses.
Therefore much interest has been shown on the potential of Telemedicine, and Telehealth as a whole, to provide support of services in these times. During the global lockdown, people have realised the deficiencies of the local health care systems. Many communities lack health centres, adequate healthcare staff, timely management and in many cases the total absence of any patient referral system. Due to mass desperation, people have become willing to accept telemedicine to at least have easy access to a provider – no matter how far away the consulting centre is.
A process that allows safe, quick and affordable communication is an obvious advantage even before the global COVID-19 outbreak. It is an interesting phenomenon that patient empowerment by digital health (or mhealth) as a sustainable option for home treatments, is now getting a great deal of interest.
In this publication we will discuss the capability of telemedicine services to help patients with chronic illnesses, to better manage their treatments with patient-centered ownership and self monitoring.
In moments of crisis the true value of innovation can be seen. Healthcare innovation has been in the limelight in the past few months, more than it ever has in the past decades.
Telemedicine allows safe, secure and convenient communication without the hassle of arranging a doctor’s appointment, spending a lot of time and resources to and from the hospital, and of course the ability to save money in the long run. Telemedicine has seen unprecedented adoption by healthcare specialists, who are traditionally resistant to technological innovation in the past, have now realised that this will help them ensure and even enhance their clinical practice.
The important thing to consider, is that telemedicine will not actually cure anything. Incorrect or incomplete marketing messages may confuse patients as to what digital health will do.
Telemedicine by itself will not alter disease progression in any way, it is meant to improve the communication between patients and qualified providers, so that a rapport can be created, even though both parties may be very far from each other.
What both parties do with this interaction, and what happens after the screen goes off is the most important aspect in comprehensive continuity of care in digital health.
Download this exclusive in-depth guide by a telemedicine startup founder and physician entrepreneur – as we go on a journey of discovery and self empowerment. Now is the time to take a proactive stance on the wellbeing of ourselves and our loved ones.