The use of telehealth is one of the common techniques in the modern world, which has become popular during the times of COVID-19 pandemics. Telehealth is a medical information system used to improve the health of the world’s population through remote communication (Tuckson et al., 2017). Before COVID-19, many healthcare organizations did not use the concept, and patients preferred to have real chats with their doctors. Nevertheless, in the United States, many medical institutions actively use remote appointments to avoid overcrowding and decrease costs (Tuckson et al., 2017). The use of telehealth made it easier for the world to cope with the tension raised due to the global problem.
When the coronavirus pandemic happened, the rest of the world adjusted the concept of telehealth to their working strategies. Patients with chronic diseases who are at a high risk of catching the virus did not have to go out and visit doctors to get their life-supporting medication. Zoom and telephone appointments decreased the number of patients coming to the healthcare center (Monaghesh and Hajizadeh, 2020). Even though the COVID-19 pandemic did not finish, people managed to ease the symptoms by vaccination. These days, when the virus is part of our lives, telehealth is being used as it does not require a lot of money, and patients feel more comfortable when they do not have to spend time traveling. The role of the concept in the next year should not be underestimated, and medical workers might continue using this practice to make prescriptions or consult patients at the early stages of their treatment. Nevertheless, some patients might require a personal meeting with professionals. In this case, healthcare organizations should have alternatives that can be provided.
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). Web.
Tuckson, R. V., Edmunds, M. D., & Hodgkins, M. L. (2017). Telehealth.The New England Journal of Medicine. Web.