The Role Of Telemedicine In Rural Communities

By Raymond Jackson


People who live in small or rural towns often lack the medical services they need to stay healthy. They have to travel miles away to bigger towns or forgo medical care altogether. The decision can force some people to suffer from illnesses and injuries needlessly. However, new technology now allows an increasing number of medical providers to bring services to remote locations. With telemedicine, small and rural towns now have the healthcare residents need to stay well.

This technology continues to make strides in how it makes itself accessible to patients. In its earliest days, it involved a nurse or doctor driving a medical van or mobile unit to a remote town. The vehicle served as a mobile health clinic on wheels where people could come for basic healthcare services like blood pressure checkups or vaccinations. If the provider needed to consult with a specialist in another city, he or she would have to make a phone call and sometimes wait for an answer.

Today, phone calls no longer need to be made although they are still an option that can be used. Instead, these medical clinics on wheels have wireless connections that allow them to use the Internet to meet with providers working in clinics and hospitals elsewhere. Communication modes like Skype serve as the platform by which these meetings take place. Doctors and patients are able to come face to face instantly.

It also serves as a platform by which a doctor can view a patient's medical records without the paperwork having to be scanned, faxed, or mailed into him or her. The patient likewise gets the chance to speak to a doctor face to face and have questions answered, concerns allayed, and other needs met. This individual has no need to get in his or her car and drive miles away to a big city just to visit the provider in person.

This technology has also proven helpful in addressing the needs of at-risk individuals like the elderly. Aging individuals who live in rural areas sometimes go without the medical services needed to stay safe and well. They sometimes cannot afford to drive miles from home even if they are physically capable of driving.

The services allow doctors and nurses to access seniors who otherwise might suffer with sicknesses and injuries that could be easily treated. They can bring the mobile units to the town where seniors can get to readily. They also may be able to bring prescription medications to these patients.

More hospitals and medical agencies are offering grants to rural healthcare facilities. The federal government is also offering grants for these purposes. It has been argued that within the next decade nearly every rural town could be served in such a manner.

Healthcare services that are broadcast via virtual meetings and other means are becoming more commonplace in the country today. People who live in rural areas no longer need to go without services required to maintain their health. They also can get treatment for injuries as well as consult with specialists who work in facilities miles away. Patients do not have to drive for hours to receive healthcare for their overall wellness.




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