Medical Field and Telemedicine

Telemedicine

There have been a number of important and pivotal inventions, process improvements and new technologies that have changed the medical field forever. Just a few that come to mind are CT scanners, electronic healthcare records and immunizations. When looking at more modern and recent changes, meaning over the last generation or so, there are a few besides electronic healthcare records that are changing things for the better. One such thing is telemedicine. Indeed, not every medical problem requires an in-person doctor's visit and whatever can be done to speed up or otherwise improve access should be done for the betterment of humanity. While telemedicine is very much a work in progress, it has improved by leaps and bounds and should absolutely remain an option for situations where time and/or the nature of the situation calls for it.

Analysis

What was stated in the introduction was largely a summary that was created by the author of this report. However, the peer-reviewed and scholarly literature that exists out there very much echoes what is said above. Of course, there are concerns about things like overuse, ethics and so forth but the benefits surely would exceed the potential problems involved so long as the proper planning and execution is created and perfected over time. To prove or disprove that, the author of this report consulted a few academic sources, as just mentioned. One subset of medicine that has allowed for a lot of use of telemedicine is dermatology. Indeed, a computer or phone system with a camera involved can accomplish a lot of what a dermatology doctor needs to assess. As such, it could be quite possible that a doctor's visit is overdoing it. However, there is merit in making sure the promise is as good as it would seem. Indeed, dermatology-related (and other uses) of telemedicine are improving rapidly and this even holds true in countries like Hungary, per a 2016 article on the subject (Danis, Forczek & Bari, 2016).

One might think that the emergency realm might not be the best place to use the telemedicine method. However, this has proven to be untrue in many ways. It has been actively used and perfected in realms such as cardiology and beyond. For example, it is possible to record an ECG before the hospital phase even begins and this can save a lot of time. This alone can avoid a delay when it comes to diagnosing myocardial infarctions and other such issues. Reducing the time it takes to assess a patient can only improve the survival and mortality rates of patients in those situations. Sure, the practice is limited when it comes to some situations but there are others where it can pay huge dividends if the right technology and people are in place (Caldorola et al., 2006). OF course, there is always the back end of things and there are always investment dollars involved. Beyond that, so much of the healthcare systems of the world are for-profit in nature, at least in part. As such, creating a proper and complete business model that has telemedicine as part of its wider portfolio is a must. The need is certainly there and there will certainly be integration over time but it can take some time passage before things truly get online and streamlined.