Telehealth means using communications technology to provide health care at a distance — computers, cameras, videoconferencing, the internet, and satellite and wireless links.
What it looks like
- A virtual visit with a health care provider, by phone or video chat.
- Remote patient monitoring, so your provider can check on you at home — for example, a device you wear that sends your heart rate to your provider.
- A surgeon using robotic technology to operate from another location.
- Sensors that alert caregivers if a person with dementia leaves the house.
- A message to your provider through your electronic health record.
- An online video from your provider showing, say, how to use an inhaler.
- An email, phone or text reminder that a cancer screening is due.
Telehealth or telemedicine?
People sometimes use the words interchangeably, but telehealth is the broader term. It includes telemedicine, and also things like training for health care providers, administrative meetings, and services from pharmacists and social workers.
Pros and cons
| Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|
| care at home — especially for people who can't easily get to an office | a provider who isn't your regular one may not have your full medical history |
| care from a specialist who isn't nearby | afterward, it may be up to you to coordinate with your regular provider |
| care after office hours | sometimes a correct diagnosis needs an in-person exam — or you may need to go in for a lab test |
| more communication with your providers, and better coordination among them | technical problems — a dropped connection, a software fault |
| more support for managing health conditions, especially chronic ones such as diabetes | some insurance companies may not cover it |
| possibly lower cost — virtual visits may be cheaper than in-person ones |
Care you may be able to get this way
- General care, such as wellness visits
- Prescriptions
- Dermatology (skin care)
- Eye exams
- Nutrition counseling
- Mental health counseling
- Urgent care for conditions such as sinusitis, urinary tract infections and common rashes
As with an in-person visit, come prepared and communicate clearly with your provider.
Sources
Based on the MedlinePlus health topic "Telehealth," National Library of Medicine; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
LanguagesEnglish
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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