Technology today allows us to be familiar with many services such as web conferences and FaceTime, which allows us to speak and see friends and family within seconds but Telehealth is taking this emerging technology and putting it to good use. Telehealth is very convenient for patients that usually would have to travel for hours away from their home to visit a qualified doctor. Many hospitals are adapting to this technology and smaller “kiosks” are being made in smaller deserted cities so patients can go to those kiosks and teleconference with a more qualified doctor. For example, if a patient suffers from an unusual skin condition but there are no doctors in the area to help, the patient can visit the small kiosk and a nurse working there can use a small high quality camera to take special pictures and videos to send to a more qualified physician.
Not only does telehealth range from advanced high-quality online video and voice interactions, telehealth can also save more time by having patients use mobile devices that automatically reports their vital signs as they monitor it at home. For example, diabetics can use mobile devices to record and upload their food logs, medication, dosing and blood sugar levels for a nurse to review electronically. The nurse and patient would just be a phone call or text away for any questions. There are also sensors that patients can wear and wirelessly collects, stores, analyses and transmits data such as heart and respiration rates.
In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of electronic chips in medication so there are digestible pills (made of copper, magnesium, and silicon) to help healthcare workers monitor patients’ medicinal intake. When the patient swallows the pill, the microchip transmits a signal to a match worn on the body and sends the data such as hearth rate, temperate, and activity/rest patterns to the mobile device.
Telehealth reduces the stress related to time and traveling but there are also many other broad aspects in telehealth. This emerging technology is expected to grow over 50% this year and Ryzen Solutions is working with many of the top hospitals that are adopting telehealth.
-Leslie Tran
Intern at Ryzen Solutions