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Advancements in modern medicine have made it so our options for seeking out and receiving medical help aren't limited to physically visiting doctor's offices or urgent care centers. Instead, the rise of telemedicine allows us to connect with doctors without ever having to leave our homes.

This has proven to be invaluable for getting information and advice when other means of medical care aren't accessible. In an increasingly connected world, it also seems like an important tool for the future of healthcare.

By its simplest definition, telemedicine is any service or method that uses technology to allow doctors and patients to interact with one another even when they're not physically in the same location. This allows people to connect with medical specialists who may live in entirely different parts of the planet and to obtain expert advice and diagnoses they typically wouldn't have access to. It also allows both the healthcare provider and the patient to connect without having to travel anywhere themselves.

To be clear, telemedicine is not a new concept. In fact, it's existed in one form or another since the 1950s. Back then, it was the telephone that enabled direct communication between a doctor and a patient, before dedicated video conferencing systems introduced a new level of interactivity.

The biggest shift in telemedicine came via the rise of the internet. The ever-expanding network afforded by the internet helped bring telemedicine to the masses, making it easier than ever to connect to a medical professional via a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Originally, the idea behind telemedicine was that it would be a convenient way for people living in remote locations to receive medical attention and assistance. Later, that level of convenience extended to others who found it difficult to visit their doctor during regular office hours.

Busy schedules, lack of transportation, mobility issues, and a host of other challenges disappeared by picking up the phone and chatting with a doctor directly. The process wasn't as all-encompassing as an actual in-person check-up or physical, but it did prove successful under certain circumstances.

Thanks to the proliferation of technology into every aspect of our lives, telemedicine's become a reality for so many people. Highly sophisticated systems now allow patients to set up video chats with a health professional at just about any time of day or night.

But the field of telemedicine goes beyond that as well, giving caregivers the ability to remotely monitor a patient using wireless sensors and other equipment. It even allows physicians to quickly and easily share a patient's history and health records, making it easier for healthcare practitioners to collaborate with one another.

The value of using telemedicine is immense for a variety of patients, regardless of whatever illness or issue they face and it's more vital now than ever. As more people start to prefer telemedicine, the number of companies offering their own unique take on the bridge between doctor and patient expands, too.

Below are 12 of the top telemedicine services, offering everything from quick and easy consultations to mental health outreach.

Read the original here:
The best telemedicine services for anyone unable to visit a doctor's office in person - Insider - INSIDER

This entry was posted on April 15, 2020 at 3:48 am and is filed under Preventative Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |