How Telemedicine Can Help Acute Care

Acute care is a kind of healthcare that is often regarded as a short-term treatment in which a patient receives active treatment for injuries or illnesses. More precisely, acute care is the direct opposite of what we call an ‘emergency condition’ because it doesn’t involve any severe condition or chronic illness.

Telemedicine has always been a successful approach to delivering quick medical treatment in any health care system. However, with the rise of the pandemic, the dependence of every healthcare system on telemedicine has spurred to new heights. 

The approximate figure by which telemedicine has increased in the last week of March 2020 is around 154, with more healthcare organizations relying on telemedicine in the coming years.

What is Telemedicine? 

Telemedicine allows physicians and healthcare professionals to diagnose, evaluate, and treat patients sitting far away through the mode of telecommunication. 

This is also referred to as a remote consultation with other professionals limiting the in-person visits and focusing more on patient satisfaction and the quality of the healthcare service. 

Acute Care Telemedicine: A New Normal 

Telemedicine platforms helps hospitals provide quick consultations with a remote physician or a specialist that may include teleologists, telepsychiatrists, or neurologists. 

Although acute care telemedicine is a short-term treatment for illness and injury, it ensures the rapid recovery of the patients at home without the involvement of patient travel to hospitals. It increases the productivity of the medical professional as well. 

Here are some benefits of acute care telemedicine: 

Telemedicine quickly connects the highly qualified medical professionals of the country with any hospitals through video or audio calls allowing them to figure out the problem and suggest the best treatment.

The cost involved in telemedicine is surprisingly low, helping patients to get timely treatments without visiting several medical facilities. This ultimately saves a lot of time and money and proves to be the better alternative to an in-person consultation.

Hospitals can easily optimize clinical outcomes by comparing physician performance based on meaningful insights and data-driven reports.

Factors That Increased the Demand for Acute Care Telemedicine 

Here are some major factors that have increased the demand for acute care telemedicine across many healthcare settings:

The Covid-19 Pandemic 

The rise of a pandemic has brought some of the biggest revolutions in every sector and healthcare is no different. The high risk of infection for patients and physicians has increased the need for telemedicine for acute care of patients. 

But, after long-term dependence on telemedicine, hospitals have accepted this new normal after witnessing the positive outcomes of telemedicine. 

Physician Shortages 

Due to the extreme population growth and high rate of retirement, the healthcare system has faced a massive shortage of experienced professionals that can fulfil the consultation process efficiently. 

This is the reason many small and big hospitals have shifted to telemedicine to deal with acute care and to save time and money for both patients and professionals. 

Regulatory issues of the healthcare sector 

Telemedicine has amazingly proven to be a profound and useful solution to regulatory compliance issues of the healthcare sector. 

Many hospitals have to face severe issues like clinical capacity, treatment quality, unhygienic problems, and operational tasks that are less likely to be on the frontline after the rise of telemedicine. 

Telemedicine FAQs 

Is telemedicine safe for everyone? 

Yes. Telemedicine has proved to be a safe and effective substitute for in-person care, allowing patients and providers to explore the new era of consultation with a few clicks. 

Is telemedicine technology hard to use? 

Telemedicine technology and applications are simple and easy to operate for both patients and providers. In other words, just like any other social app, you can easily perform simple tasks and get in touch with your consultants. 

What are some great examples of telemedicine acute care? 

Telestroke and telepsychiatry are the two effective examples of telemedicine acute care. The teleNeurology program connects the patient with strokes to the neurologist and begins the treatment process of the patient. 

In the same manner, telePsychiatry offers mental healthcare treatment to patients with mental health or substance abuse issues. 

What are telemedicine’s requirements? 

In order to get the maximum benefit from telemedicine, you need a high-speed internet connection (for good quality video or audio), a smartphone or a computer, and a quiet place for the appointment. 

Conclusion 

Telemedicine solution provide qualified care and consultation to patients at any location without wasting an extra minute. It’s beneficial not only for patients who find it hard to visit hospitals more often but also allows physicians to treat more people in multiple hospitals.