Telemedicine offers a large number of advantages to patients and providers, especially in more rural areas of the world. However, by examining how telemedicine benefits underdeveloped countries, the U.S can see how to effectively apply it to it’s own smaller communities. [1]
“In places like the U.S. and continental Europe, telemedicine is largely about controlling costs, improving patient quality-of-life and, as a natural corollary, elevating treatment outcomes,” explained Alex Brisbourne, president and COO of KORE Telematics, a wireless network provider focused on the M2M communications market. “In Third World countries there are other factors that shine a light on telemedicine.”
Here are four benefits telemedicine gives Third World countries:
1. Efficient and proper use of ‘in-field’ equipment
Wireless connections promote more efficient use of “in-field” equipment. It also ensures that the equipment is used as directed. “This in turn allows treatment facilities to obtain proper financial reimbursement without having to jump through reporting or administrative hoops; usage can be documented and credentialed in real-time,” said Brisbourne.
2. Home field advantage
Telemedicine allows treatment and healing to occur within a patient’s own environment. “This factor is known to be more efficacious in nearly every treatment scenario imaginable,” Brisbourne said. Additionally, it can reduce the amount of traveling a patient has to do to and from physicians’ offices. “Interestingly,” Brisbourne continued, “the mere need to ‘go to the doctor’s’ can become a deterrent to treatment because it is time-consuming, inconvenient, and candidly, not easily accomplished by all factions of society.”
3. ‘Top flight’ healthcare access
In developing countries telemedicine brings skilled treatment to remote locations. “These connections can often even provide a bridge across communication barriers such as language and cultural differences,” said Brisbourne.
4. A further link between developed countries and Third World countries
Another opportunity for telemedicine is the growing trend of medical tourism. “Many First World patients are finding success going abroad for surgical procedures, whether elective or critical in nature. While counterintuitive, certain pockets of the Third World offer extremely high-quality, low-cost surgical specialties. For example, India is renowned for its heart and lung surgeons for example; Eastern Europe has a reputation for high-end orthopedics,” explained Brisbourne.
The benefits of mobile medicine will bring better care options to facilities in even the most remote areas. As time goes on, the ability to prevent and treat medical conditions will be available to those even in the most rural areas of the world and quality care will be right in the palm of their hands.
[1] Deschenes, Steff. “ 4 telemedicine lessons Third World can teach industrialized countries.” Healthcare Finance News. Web. 03 October 2012
