What is telemedicine and do you need it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It is a comfortable and effective way to take care of your health online.

What is telemedicine

We are talking about medical care, which is provided at a distance, using Telemedicine, Telehealth, and Health Information Technology modern telecommunication technologies. The physician consults the patient via e-mail, video communication and instant messengers. This service is sometimes referred to as distance medicine.

Why telemedicine is needed

Telemedicine is a convenient tool in cases when, for some reason, a sick person cannot or does not see the point in coming to an appointment. For example:

• The hospital is located far from home, and it is difficult for a patient (say, with a temperature) to get there.
• The health problem seems harmless and you just need a little consultation with your doctor.
• Your region is hit by a natural disaster - hurricane, flood, fire, earthquake, and hospitals are overwhelmed.
• The city has declared quarantine and it is undesirable to visit polyclinics without an urgent need.
• You fell ill on a business trip or abroad, so you would like to talk to your “native” physician, who will simply and clearly explain what to do.
• You have a complex medical condition and would like to consult another doctor - perhaps a medical luminary from a foreign clinic.

In addition, telemedicine makes it possible to consult with different specialists without sitting in lines. The quality of advice is also improving. The doctor can quickly check his findings with the latest evidence-based medicine online or consult with colleagues not only from his own hospital, but also from other countries.

These are not all the benefits of distance therapy. But the key one sounds like this. You know that “your” doctor (the one who knows better about your health condition than anyone else) is always in touch. This saves time and effort, and gives confidence. Telemedicine eliminates the need for a hospital and, in general, significantly improves the quality of life.

How telemedicine works

In fact, for many diseases, a full-time visit to the doctor is not required, and sometimes it can even harm. A simple example is SARS in children. Instead of taking a sick child to the clinic and sitting in line with him at the risk of catching another infection, parents can contact the pediatrician online, report the symptoms and get appointments. The quality of treatment will not suffer from this, but the child will be more protected.

Telemedicine has proven itself well in areas other than pediatrics. For example, at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Johns Hopkins Telemedicine provides remote patient reception:

• allergists;
• cardiologists;
• gynecologists;
• endocrinologists;
• dermatologists;
• pulmonologists;
• rehabilitologists;
• urologists;
• nephrologists;
• orthopedists;
• infectious disease specialists;
• surgeons.

Each doctor has complete information about the patient's health (it is displayed in the electronic medical history) and is personally acquainted with him - the initial appointment takes place in person. Therefore, remote consultations are most effective. The physician listens to complaints, conducts an examination, issues a referral for tests and writes prescriptions electronically, and then regularly contacts the patient to find out how the treatment is going and what its results are.

However, telemedicine is not limited to online consultations. If the doctor suspects a dangerous disease, he will insist on calling an ambulance or make an appointment with the patient.

Is telemedicine legal in Russia

Yes, since 2017. It was then that the Federal Law was adopted Federal Law of July 29, 2017 No.242-FZ "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on the Application of Information Technologies in the Field of Health Protection" On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on the Application of Information Technologies in the Field of Health Protection. In addition to it, the Ministry of Health decided on the approval of the procedure for organizing and providing medical care using telemedicine technologies, how exactly telemedicine should work in the Russian Federation.

In general, domestic remote consulting is no different from the world. Except that telemedicine is just developing in Russia, and therefore few know about it yet.

How to use telemedicine

First, you need a computer or smartphone with a stable internet connection. Secondly, you need to find a clinic or a specific doctor who are engaged in remote medical consultation.

Theoretically, telemedicine can be provided under a compulsory medical insurance agreement (MHI) on the program of state guarantees of free provision of medical care to citizens for 2020 and for the planning period of 2021 and 2022. However, in practice, it is not available everywhere. This is due to the not yet approved Telemedicine received a compulsory medical insurance tariff by tariffication of telemedicine services in the compulsory medical insurance system, and to the fact that not every doctor of a state or municipal polyclinic has a computer with Internet access.

But you can try: call your clinic and ask if there is a “state” telemedicine in your area. If not, then such options are possible.

Visit private clinics

To find a clinic that provides remote consulting services, you just need to enter the word "telemedicine" and the name of your locality in the search engine (this is important, because the first time you have to come to an in-person appointment). Call the chosen medical center: they will advise you on what to do next.

Take advantage of online services

There are mobile apps and websites that will connect you to the right doctor based on your needs. These are, for example, Yandex. Health, Doctor Ryadom, OnlineDoctor, Telemed, Infoklinika and others.

Call your insurance company

Some insurance companies provide telemedicine services to clients under voluntary health insurance (VHI). Perhaps yours is one of those companies. Sberbank Life Insurance, AlfaStrakhovanie-Life, Renaissance Health, ERGO, AK BARS Insurance - choose your option.

How to choose a truly effective telemedicine service

The risk of running into scammers certainly exists. Therefore, the choice of a telemedicine organization or service should be approached carefully.

First, be sure to ask if the service has the right to treat remotely. To do this, a doctor or clinic must have a special permit (license). The institution must be registered in the Federal Register of Medical Organizations of the Unified State Information System in the field of health care, and the physician must be registered in the Federal Register of Medical Workers of the Unified System.

Second, pay attention to the reputation of the specialists. The best option is to choose clinics or services that have been on the market for a long time and have high-quality websites or mobile applications.

If you are offered advice on open forums or in social networks, you should refuse such a service.

Third, focus on reviews. Do not be lazy to look for what people who have already used it write about the service you like. And only then make a decision.