Introduction
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was often seen as a supplementary service rather than the main approach to healthcare. Most people preferred in-person exams and consultations, and the adoption of telehealth remained limited. However, the pandemic accelerated its use, highlighting telehealth's vital role in providing accessible and flexible healthcare, even in the face of global challenges. Today, telehealth is reshaping how we think about healthcare, expanding access to quality care, improving efficiency, and meeting the needs of diverse patient populations.
In this article, we will explore the concept of telehealth, including its definition, and key benefits, specialized applications, current challenges, while looking ahead at potential solutions and future advancements.
What is Telehealth?
According to Mayo Clinic, telehealth is “the use of digital information and communication technologies to access health care services remotely and manage your health care”. It enables real-time, store-and-forward, and hybrid healthcare encounters, making the most common uses of telehealth — such as virtual visits and consults, store-and-forward of medical patient information, remote monitoring, and diagnostics — possible through video conferencing as well as other professional medical technologies. It involves a distant site, where the specialist is, and the originating site, where the patient is.
Whether a clinician decides to use telehealth largely depends on the specialty of the clinician, with telehealth being most commonly used in specialties like radiology, psychiatry, cardiology, emergency and critical care, and pathology.
Advantages of Telehealth
Quick, Increased Access
Telehealth offers a faster, more convenient way to access healthcare services. Being able to access healthcare services from the comfort of your home is more comfortable, particularly for specific groups of patients, such as rural residents and chronic illness patients, and patients with other special conditions. For other types of patients where time is critical to patient outcomes, such as stroke patients, using telehealth can ensure the patient receives timely care.
Enhanced Patient Outcomes
As telehealth can help patients get the healthcare they need earlier, it often results in better patient outcomes. Better patient outcomes also mean reduced hospitalizations.
For chronic illness patients, telehealth consultations and remote disease monitoring can help manage chronic conditions by moving certain types of appointments online, such as routine online check-ins, follow-up appointments, or explanations of test results, removing the need to make in-person appointments when appointments can occur online.
Reduced Risk of Infection
During the height of the COVID pandemic, 50-80% of medical visits were conducted via telehealth. Although the COVID pandemic has passed and the world has largely reverted to its pre-pandemic norms, telehealth regulations and practices have grown lenient post-COVID, signaling that it remains a critical tool for future-proofing healthcare. No one can be sure when another pandemic could strike, and strengthening telehealth infrastructure is key to preparedness. Through the Internet, a patient can receive quality healthcare without the risk of infecting the clinician or other patients.
Cost-Effectiveness
According to Verywell Health, telehealth appointments are generally less costly because less hospital support staff is needed. On the other side, patients are less likely to miss work, schedule childcare, and travel, all of which result in higher costs for the patient — some amounting to US$1,500.
Specialized Applications
Teleradiology
Teleradiology is the transmission of a patient’s radiological images — such as CT scans and X-rays — to a distance-site radiologist who will interpret the images and report back to the originating site. Accidents requiring radiology often occur in rural and frontier areas, which is unfortunate that radiologists are also often unavailable in hospital emergency rooms of these areas. This is why teleradiology is extremely important for rural healthcare, providing healthcare where it is needed.
Telecardiology
Telecardiology consists of virtual visits and consultations by remote cardiovascular specialists at distant sites. Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide, and specialists are often lacking in originating sites, particularly in stroke treatment. Telestroke is when highly specialized stroke care is delivered by first responders with the guidance of remote stroke experts.
Telepsychiatry and Telemental Health
Telepsychiatry, or telemental health, is providing mental health services through video conferencing. According to the American Psychiatric Association, it encompasses a range of healthcare services, consisting of psychiatric evaluations, therapy (individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy), patient education, and medication management. Patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety can benefit greatly from having access to telepsychiatry, as there is still stigma surrounding mental illnesses.
Teledermatology
Teledermatology, or telemental health, is providing mental health services through video conferencing. When a dermatologist remotely diagnoses, monitors, and assesses a patient’s skin conditions from a distant site. Teledermatology can be classified into two types: real-time — virtual visits through video conferencing — and store-and-forward — digital exchange of medical information of the patient to the dermatologist.
Challenges Currently Faced in Telehealth
Technological Barriers
As telehealth requires a certain amount of technological knowledge, the poor, the elderly, or patients who are less educated can find it difficult to navigate telehealth services either due to the lack of technological devices and infrastructure or the lack of ability to use technologies. On the provider’s end, telehealth enables specialists at the distant site to evaluate patients without being physically present, but the originating site must still be equipped with the necessary medical hardware, such as MRI or CT scanners, to perform examinations.
Regulations
Telehealth faces complex regulatory challenges, especially with multi-regional systems. Licensing and practice regulations, such as in-person consultation requirements from medical boards and limitations in the Social Security Act, pose significant barriers. Compliance with entities like the American Medical Association and FDA further complicates multi-regional healthcare delivery.
Security Attacks
There are two most common attacks that steal private patient data and compromise the quality of telehealth. One of the most common security attacks is phishing attacks, which bait victims into giving up their personal data and login information unknowingly. Another type is called ransomware attacks, in which an attacker unleashes malware and demands a ransom be paid for the removal of the malware.
Quality of Care Limitations
Since telehealth is unable to offer in-person care, there are things that telehealth is unable to handle, such as giving birth or live surgery where the specialist is the surgeon. Aside from the abovementioned situations, a study from Michigan State University suggests that patients generally trust their in-person healthcare provider more than they do telehealth practitioners.
Telehealth in the Future
Telehealth in the future will likely address regulatory challenges through increased global standardization and streamlined cross-border licensing agreements. Developing international telehealth frameworks could help unify licensing and practice regulations, making it easier for healthcare providers to deliver services across regions. Advances in secure digital infrastructure will also support data privacy and compliance with diverse regulatory requirements, ensuring safe, patient-centered care regardless of location. Additionally, AI-driven tools may assist in adapting telehealth practices to local regulations, allowing more seamless multi-regional healthcare delivery.
Conclusion
Telehealth has transformative potential in healthcare, increasing access, improving patient outcomes, and supporting diverse medical specialties. While challenges like technology limitations, regulatory hurdles, and quality concerns remain, advancements in connectivity, cybersecurity, and diagnostic tools offer promising solutions. As telehealth continues to evolve, it not only enables better healthcare accessibility but also lays the foundation for a more resilient, adaptable healthcare system. By embracing telehealth, healthcare providers and policymakers can pave the way for more equitable and efficient patient care.
Telehealth is more than a temporary solution — it’s an essential part of future healthcare. Now is the time to invest in and adopt telehealth technologies to ensure that quality care remains accessible to all, regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
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