Now more than ever, many healthcare providers, particularly pediatricians, are encouraged to use telemedicine for minor illnesses and injuries.
By employing technology like cellphones, tablets, and computers, telehealth makes treatment more convenient for parents. Furthermore, it can help parents who reside in rural places find child care. Significant health problems, on the other hand, demand a doctor’s visit, and some limitations may preclude telemedicine from meeting a patient’s needs.
Remote medical practice involves the use of information and communication technologies for illness prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management. Now, let’s discuss how telemedicine is increasingly being used in pediatric infectious disease programs to provide access to specialists while lowering costs.
Read on to discover more about telemedicine and how it helps fight pediatric diseases.
Understanding Telemedicine
Telemedicine is commonly used to treat acute and chronic infectious diseases, particularly in countries where the bulk of the population lives in rural areas with no access to urban third-level hospital centers. In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, telemedicine has become increasingly important in affluent countries. It saves patients time, money, and work hours by simplifying communication with specialists and providing ongoing updates, and it eliminates cancellations and delays for doctors.
One downside is the difficulty to conduct an objective evaluation, which is critical for children under the age of two, as well as the need for cutting-edge technology and consistent connectivity. The future of telemedicine is to gradually revolutionize medical care for infectious diseases, both acute and chronic. Validation in pediatric care and implementation in real-world situations is crucial.
The Advantages of Telemedicine
- Access to infectious disease specialists, both acute and chronic Rural patient visits save time, money, and labor hours.
- Fewer cancellations and delays are expected.
- It allows physicians to contact specialists and stay up to date.
- It is used in hospitals to ensure proper antimicrobial stewardship, improve patient care, and save money.
The Disadvantages of Telemedicine
- Inability to conduct a critical objective evaluation on a youngster under the age of two.
- Limitation of a physician’s access to clinical data and a child’s ability to communicate symptoms
- Technology, communication, and dependability are all required.
- Security and confidentiality requirements must be established for medical-legal components of therapeutic counseling.
- Inadequate global, national, and local pandemic response standards.
The Function of Telemedicine
With telemedicine, medical professionals are more accessible, even for isolated populations that lack access to competent care. It allows for the fast examination, triage, and treatment of a larger number of patients suffering from acute and chronic infectious diseases. Telemedicine visits also assist patients by saving time and money, as well as reducing travel distance and time away from work. The vast majority of patients said they would use telemedicine again.
Both cost-effective and efficient, telemedicine benefits patients and physicians by reducing cancellations and delays. It is a practice that allows professionals from many professions to collaborate in real-time to solve complicated problems.
Telemedicine has also been used on inpatients to reduce hospital stays, ensure antibiotic adherence, improve patient quality of life, and reduce costs.
Using Telehealth in Pediatric Diseases
Telehealth consultations are meant to supplement, not replace, well-child checkups. Telemedicine is a viable alternative for seeking consultation with a specialist after being referred by a physician, medicine reactions, and if your pediatrician has requested health updates about your child.
These types of medical sessions are also used to treat atopic dermatitis, chickenpox, common cold, rashes, ear infections, head lice, mild fever, muscle sprain or strain, thrush, pink eye, and sore throat.
Other matters like routine checkups or more severe medical conditions may require your child to make an in-person doctor’s appointment.
Conclusion
Telemedicine, although new and needs more research, is proving itself to be promising. A true gamechanger for the medicine and hospital industry, it can provide quick and valuable assistance to both adults and their children, especially in times of emergency. With that said, as a parent, you may want to look into this alternative to health consultations in the near future, if necessary.
Your Kid’s Urgent Care offers quality pediatric urgent care services to you and your loved ones. Anytime and anywhere, we’ll be available–just give us a call!
