Role of Telemedicine In Long-term Care Facilities

1. Role of Telemedicine In Long-term Care Facilities Since the global pandemic of Covid-19 hit the world economy, the concept of telemedicine and telehealth services is gaining popularity. The patients living with chronic, non-healing diseases, such as Pressure ulcers or Diabetic foot ulcers are getting virtual care & treatment by their healthcare providers amid pandemic through IT-enabled technologies & solutions. The concept is quite beneficial in long-term facilities where the patients’ utmost care is ensured with the highest quality mandates and improved supervision. An effective telemedicine program is enabling patients to get increased and timely access to medical care providers and specialists to get their diseases cured without compromising the quality amid pandemics. The healthcare providers are capable of getting a more prompt diagnosis and informed decisions about patients to generate personalized treatment plans, advanced remote monitoring, and improved patient communications. The telemedicine industry is a sustained upward trend that is expected to stay in future medical advancements. What is Telemedicine? Telemedicine is the latest technology advancement in the medical industry where the patients are being delivered healthcare-related services and information by the medical-care professionals without being present in real-time. It is enabling Wound Care in Orange County and healthcare providers to facilitate better remote clinician-patient contact, monitoring, medical recommendations, virtually order placements of medical & pharmaceutical products, informed patient education, and many more. The application of telemedicine requires an internet-enabled device with a webcam installed in it, and a storing platform for patients’ medical records. The clinicians can have a real-time conversation with the patients, listen to their queries, assess medical conditions, and prescribe suitable treatment or products for them.

2. How Is Telemedicine Helping Long-term Care Facilities? In addition to providing patients with remote access to physicians, there are several significant benefits of availing electronic-based health information & recommendations through telemedicine for the medical or long-term healthcare facilities. For example: ● Real-time communication with the patients having chronic, non-healing diseases, for example, surgical wounds, diabetic ulcer, venous ulcer or gangrene, etc. ● Effective physical examination by listening to heartbeats using an electronic stethoscope. ● Live video and take images of patients’ body parts to get a full-body analysis, such as inner ear, nose, throat, and eyes with the help of a video otoscope. ● Virtual assessment of the symptoms etc. Now the patients with several chronic diseases can get a satisfied & improved level of care & treatment from the clinicians without visiting the hospital in person. Moreover, telemedicine has also helped manage the progression of chronic health conditions, reduce mortality rates, and the number of hospital visits for the patients. Here is how: Reducing Readmissions Increasing costs due to frequent back & forth visits of the patients have always been one of the significant concerns long-term healthcare facilities are struggling to manage. Patients living with chronic, non-healing wounds require regular visits to nursing homes to track their treatment & healing process. Due to the strict safety measures for further preventing Covid-19 infection, the movements are limited which results in an inability to access the required medical care. Here, telemedicine is resolving the issue by eliminating the need for hospital visits for the patients and providing them required medical care & treatment virtually. Similarly, it is also beneficial for the patients who have been discharged and getting home-care under the supervision of Bedside Care Specialist USA. By maintaining physical avoidance, the patients can get access to their surgeons, physicians and get their issues addressed via video conferencing and other telemedicine technologies. Thanks to telemedicine, patients now can get uninterrupted access to medical facilities and would only need to visit the hospitals in case of severe complications.

3. Increasing Accessibility Patients with old age have a higher necessity to visit the hospital compared to other individuals due to the high prevalence of chronic diseases among senior patients. However, in some cases, the senior patients are unable to go out of their residence due to any illness or injury or unavailability of transportation to a care facility. Here, telemedicine facilities make sure that the patients will not get deprived of required medical treatment. Thanks to the improved accessibility through the use of technology. The advanced technology is enabling patients to get access to their healthcare providers anytime they need with quality follow-up care. Here Are The Main Methods Of Telemedicine For Wound Care: ● Real-time video conferencing ● Using mobile or cellular devices ● Storing & sharing electronic health-related information The concept of telemedicine is not only helping patients with non-healing wounds but also clinicians & doctors at the healthcare facilities by reducing readmission rates and improving accessibility.