Telemedicine is the utilization of telecommunication (live videos or chats and pictures) to enable doctors to visit, diagnose, and treat patients virtually.
Telehealth is the use of technology to make healthcare and healthcare services accessible.
Telemedicine is an exceptionally tremendous field in this day and age, which is generally used to reshape the frameworks in medical care.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has greatly adopted Telemedicine and Telehealth as a means of accessing healthcare.
Medical practitioners can use it in pediatric, dermatology, radiology, psychology, and the emergency room (ER).
A patient who has an illness can easily contact a doctor and seek medical help from a distance. In a case of emergency, where there is no medical personnel in that environment, telemedicine serves to save lives.
A proper first aid treatment can be prescribed for the patient, or they can be treated immediately.
On the other hand, a mobile phone could be used to research and get information about an illness, health tips, diet, and even watch videos to educate one about health. It encourages self-management of healthcare.
Telemedicine is known in the following formats:
Store and Forward; this is a situation whereby a doctor at a distance gives treatment to a patient through another doctor or medical personnel present in the location.
Interactive medicine; It is a situation where doctors and patients continuously communicate while keeping up with the health insurance and accountability policy.
Remote patient monitoring; Patients are monitored using mobile medical devices.
How safe is Telemedicine?
Although not all cases or conditions can be treated virtually, it is safe to use when applicable, especially in emergencies and rural areas where there is little or no access to health care facilities.
Telemedicine In Nigeria
In Nigeria, Telemedicine is still a work in progress, unlike other parts of the world. This is because no standard policy or regulatory body is guiding the regulation of Telemedicine across the country. Regulatory bodies responsible for enforcing Telemedicine related matters in Nigeria include;
- National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC),
- Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),
- Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN),
- National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA),
- Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC),
- Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON).
The major problem is enforcing it into Nigeria’s legal system, which should be done by the Government, regulatory bodies, and lawmakers.
Although, a part of the Nigerian constitution cuts across the healthcare and telecommunication system. There is still a need for proper laws that will help regulate telemedicine across the country.
Also, the cost of telemedicine to many in remote areas and even urban communities of Nigeria is expensive. The education system in Nigeria has to embody telemedicine technology because there can only be growth when there is knowledge about the technology to be put in place.
Benefits of Telemedicine and Telehealth
- CONVENIENCE; Telemedicine and Telehealth offer the doctor and patient comfort, especially in non-emergency cases.
- INCREASED REVENUE; Telemedicine doesn’t require office space or numerous staff. Doctors get to see more patients, thereby minimizing the utilization of resources.
- REDUCE SPREAD OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES; the spread of diseases and infections can be prevented as all patients with different ailments do not have to gather in one place to see a physician.
- IMPROVED ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE; Patients can easily have access to a physician whenever it is needed. It also encourages the delivery of proper healthcare services.
- SAVES COST AND TIME; it helps save cost and time of transportation because you can easily access a doctor from any part of the world.
Challenges of Telemedicine and Telehealth
Although telemedicine helps save costs, we cannot undermine that technology is expensive. A lot of money is required to set up and put many things in place if we want the Telemedicine and Telehealth system to be effective.
Also, the telemedicine and telehealth system doesn’t favour rural areas because of internet connectivity.
Lastly, not all communication is safe, and the patient’s security and health are also not fully guaranteed.
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