Introduction
Direct communication is usually deemed the superior form of dialogue between a patient and a healthcare expert. The preference for a live conversation is self-explanatory given the broad number of opportunities for introducing patient-specific approaches to health literacy promotion (Tsou et al., 2021). However, in some instances, a conversation facilitated by tools such as Telehealth can be considered beneficial. The decision to choose Telehealth as the best option is justified by situations such as patients living in remote areas being in need of health services at the time of a health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Discussion
The problem of remote rural areas not receiving enough healthcare support due to their isolation remains one of the major health issues globally. However, the adoption of Telehealth represents a cheaper opportunity to provide members of remote communities. The opportunity to expand access to care aligns with the essential Christian principles as communicated in the following verse: “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security” (New International Version Bible, 1985, Jeremiah 33:6). Namely, the notion of Telehealth echoes the Biblical idea of ensuring that all those in need are supported and valued.
Moreover, in the specified context, Telehealth technologies prove to be superior compared to traditional visits since they allow a healthcare expert to save time, thus, paying closer attention to each patient and addressing every health problem individually (Campbell & Goldstein, 2022). As a result, more effective treatments and better outcomes with faster recovery rates are expected. Thus, legal ramifications for the integration of Telehealth are defined by the necessity to provide all citizens with equal access to healthcare services as a basic human right. Similarly, the principle of beneficence as the effort to ensure the well-being of the patient as a critical healthcare principle represents the ethical ramifications of integrating Telehealth into healthcare practice.
Conclusion
Since Telehealth allows for remote control and immediate access to healthcare services, which is required in scenarios where patients are unable to address healthcare experts directly, Telehealth can be considered superior to other tools in the described instances. Namely, for people living in remote areas, the inclusion of Telehealth options represents a vital opportunity for receiving direct assistance from medical professionals. Therefore, the use of Telehealth must be encouraged more actively to support patients from underserved and otherwise disadvantaged areas.
References
Campbell, D. R., & Goldstein, H. (2022). Evolution of telehealth technology, evaluations, and therapy: Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric speech-language pathology services.American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(1), 271–286. Web.
New International Version Bible. (1985). Zondervan.
Tsou, C., Robinson, S., Boyd, J., Jamieson, A., Blakeman, R., Yeung, J., McDonnell, J., Waters, S., Bosich, K., & Hendrie, D. (2021). Effectiveness of telehealth in rural and remote emergency departments: Systematic review (preprint). Web.