The implementation of telemedicine is an effective means of improving the quality and accessibility of medical care in remote rural areas with low availability of medical services and a shortage of personnel since it is able to overcome territorial and temporary barriers between medical workers and patients (El-Miedany, 2017). The use of telemedicine helps to reduce the time and improve the quality of diagnostics. In addition, the number of cases of complications of diseases is decreasing, the approach of modern methods of diagnosis and treatment to the general population is approaching. This also ensures social efficiency, ensuring one of the citizens’ most important constitutional rights to affordable qualified medical care by expanding the volume of primary health care and ensuring its compliance with the standards of providing medical services by type and nature of diseases. Treatment is cheaper, the cost of hospital stay is reduced, the number of chronic patients and disabled people decrease.
The main format for telemedicine is the consultation of narrow-profile specialists of the personnel who assist the spot. For example, during the Brazilian fires in 2008, the main topic of telemedicine consultations was combustiology. In that case, specialists consulted local medical workers (El-Miedany, 2017). The fact is that each patient is, without a doubt, a unique case that requires an individual approach. Due to the fact that there are not very many specialists in burns, in principle, each such consultation was especially valuable. Other important areas that require telemedicine technologies are surgery, first aid for polytrauma, psychological consultations, consultations on hemodialysis, dermatology, and ophthalmology. According to the experience of the emergency services of New Orleans, it is these sections of clinical medicine that require telemedicine consultations of narrow specialists from other centers not affected by the disaster (El-Miedany, 2017). One of the essential links in telemedicine in emergencies is the consultation of primary care specialists, especially from small districts, including private clinics, where people who have suffered from the disaster turn. Thus, telemedicine can solve many problems related to providing medical care in emergencies and is essential in this area.
Reference
El-Miedany, Y. (2017). Telehealth and telemedicine: how the digital era is changing standard health care.Smart Homecare Technology and Telehealth, 4, 43-51.