We all know that telehealth virtual care exploded onto the scene in 2020 as a way to adapt to pandemic conditions. Since then, it has expanded, and then leveled off a bit. Usage rates for virtual care have plateaued, but is 38 times higher than pre-pandemic. With all this activity, are patient outcomes the same with telemedicine? Is this system working? Is remote patient care a temporary and convenient substitute for the “real thing” or is it the new normal?
And the research shows…….
Dennis Thompson delved into this subject for HealthDay News in the January article “Telemedicine as Good as In-Person for Many health Conditions: Review.” He cited research from The Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that replacing in-person care with virtual care resulted in similar clinical effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and quality of life for many conditions. Effectiveness was particularly found with conditions that can be monitored from a distance, such as diabetes, respiratory illnesses, chronic pain, heart problems, and neurological disorders.
The article does concede that telemedicine has limitations when assessing complex conditions, or patients with a new diagnosis. However, using virtual visits for follow-up care and chronic disease monitoring equally as excellent results.
Lead researcher Jordan Albritton, a public health analyst with RTI International believes that more research is needed to figure out exactly where telemedicine is best deployed, and states:
“I do think the outlook for video teleconferencing, for telehealth in general, where the research needs to go is to find those areas where it really can be transformative in health care.”
Next Steps for Telehealth Virtual Care
As organizations fine-tune their telehealth programs from the rapid deployment stage to the integrated care stage, investing in the right sustainability tools are important. The telehealth platform is effective for many types of care, and is no longer a “temporary fix,” but a permanent solution. Investing in the software and security features that make virtual care user-friendly, streamlined, and intuitive increases both provider and patient satisfaction.
Patient satisfaction now hinges on changed expectations, such as wanting the freedom to schedule appointments online, or to access records and sign HIPAA compliant online forms prior to the visit. FormDr provides HIPAA compliant forms and customized documents that provide a tailored telehealth experience.
