Telehealth becomes especially valuable regarding the COVID-19 pandemic the world faces today. The extremely contagious nature of the disease and thousands of patients in different states mean that specialists should acquire the opportunity to work with patients remotely and consult the increasing number of clients every day. Under these conditions, telehealth becomes an extremely potent tool that helps modern healthcare to cope with new tasks.
The important role of telehealth today is evidenced by numerous factors. First, for healthcare providers and patients who observe social distancing, the use of this technology contributes to the minimization of the risk of COVID-19 transmission (Monaghesh & Hajizadeh, 2020). Using telehealth, all individuals acquire an opportunity to avoid physical contact and remain safe (Monaghesh & Hajizadeh, 2020). That is why there is a growing rate of technology use by health workers. Additionally, telehealth helps to provide care to communities by consulting its members about the risks of coronavirus, how they can be minimized, and what actions should be performed to improve treatment outcomes (Monaghesh & Hajizadeh, 2020). In some situations, telehealth is useful in diagnosing and controlling patients with COVID-19, as the increased number of patients means that doctors might experience serious stress and be unable to visit all people who need care. That is why using this technology, specialists acquire the chance to struggle for better outcomes.
Moreover, telehealth contributes to the increased availability and affordability of care. For regions with poor access to care services or the absence of the demanded infrastructure, the given tool helps to improve the provision of health services and keep patients and providers safe during COVID-19 (Monaghesh & Hajizadeh, 2020). Because of these facts, there is a need to promote the further use of telehealth as a way to cope with complex situations.
At the same time, there are some limits that are linked to the further spread of telehealth. First, in rural areas, access to this sort of care can be problematic because of the absence of the internet or an insufficient supply of devices needed to organize such meetings online (Pierce & Stevermer, 2020). Additionally, people might have a lack of computer and health literacy to use such technologies appropriately (Pierce & Stevermer, 2020). The issues with payment and privacy should also be considered. Using different networks for sharing personal data can introduce additional threat co confidentiality, which means that better security measures are required. Finally, there is a need to establish affordable payment to ensure that telehealth will be available to all clients (Pierce & Stevermer, 2020). Today, it is a potent tool to struggle with COVID-19, and the challenges mentioned above should be overcome to create the basis for its future use.
References
Monaghesh, E., & Hajizadeh, A. (2020). The role of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak: A systematic review based on current evidence. BMC Public Health, 20, 1193.
Pierce, R. P., & Stevermer, J. J. (2020). Disparities in use of telehealth at the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare.