Monitoringclub.org – Telemedicine is the use of information and communication technologies to provide health care services remotely. Types of telemedicine include teleconsultation, telemonitoring, tele-education, telediagnosis, and teletriage. The following is a brief explanation and examples of each type of telemedicine:
Types of Telemedicine
1. Teleconsultation
Teleconsultation is a remote medical consultation service carried out via video conference, telephone or text message. An example is consulting a general practitioner or specialist through online health applications.
2. Telemonitoring
Telemonitoring is remote monitoring of patient health using medical devices. An example is the use of a portable EKG device to monitor a patient’s cardiac activity, or the use of a digital blood pressure device to monitor a patient’s blood pressure.
3. Tele-education
Tele-education is the use of technology to provide remote health education to patients or health workers. An example is the provision of health education videos or webinars that can be accessed online.
4. Telediagnosis
Telediagnosis is the provision of diagnosis by doctors remotely through the use of technology such as video conferencing and online health applications. An example is a skin or eye examination through an online health application, or a radiological examination that is sent to a radiologist for analysis.
5. Teletriage
Teletriage is the process of evaluating a patient’s medical needs remotely by telephone or online health application. An example is consulting with a medical assistant or nurse to determine the severity of a patient’s medical condition and provide advice on necessary actions.
In today’s digital era, telemedicine provides an alternative for patients and health workers to provide or receive health services easily and efficiently, especially in remote areas that are difficult for medical personnel to reach.
However, it is still reminded that telemedicine cannot replace in-person examinations by medical personnel and still needs to be done carefully and according to applicable medical standards.
