Telemedicine
- Telemedicine services should be avoided because they do not allow face to face interaction between the patient and the clinician.
Regardless of its wide variety of benefits, telemedicine has its share of cons such as stated above; they do not allow face to face interaction between the patient and the clinician. As a result, this may lead to inadequate assessment. When consulting a physician online, there is no physical examination. Non-verbal communication occurs in face-to-face interaction. However, telemedicine services will see such cues slipping through the cracks. The other reason why telemedicine services should be avoided is based on electronic defaults. The reliability of technology depends on the electrical current that runs it. In instances where internet connection is disrupted unknowingly, then a session will have to stop instantly. Technical hitches could further complicate remote monitoring or online consultation. Telemedicine also brings in a depersonalized relationship between the doctor and the patient. This should not be the case since trust should characterize such a relationship. Therefore, it is always advisable to visit your physician in person whenever it is possible.
- Telemedicine services require a substantial investment to set up, without important returns.
The cost of telemedicine services is a significant obstacle to telemedicine. Programs such as Banner Health require a substantial investment to set up regarding technology and staffing. Some of these costs include the cost of hiring dedicated personnel to work as the care teams and the expense of buying devices. Moreover, seeking an outside source for network development would make a comprehensive telemedicine service unaffordable by most organizations. All in all, the volume of patients has to be considerably high to make any substantial returns.
- Tele-diagnosis is today the best telemedicine application because the doctors can literally diagnose any condition from a remote location.
Using the tele-diagnosis technology comes with several advantages. In this case, the physician can diagnose any condition from a remote location. This way, the doctors can reach out to potential health seekers since there is no one is confined to the outdated clinic or health care center. This implies that the doctors are able to influence a higher volume of patients regardless of the differences in geographical location. Moreover, since the patients are not required to be physically present at the healthcare facility, the amount of money spent by such patients reduces significantly. This consequentially minimizes the cost of health care and in the end decreases the patients’ financial constraints.
