Telemedicine was not a common offering prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it's critical for those living in rural and underserved communities, and there's hope that it will be a permanent fixture in the United States' healthcare ecosystem.
Not that long ago, telemedicine options were extremely limited. In order to be seen by a healthcare provider, patients needed to schedule an appointment—sometimes weeks or even months in the future—only to then drive potentially long distances to the doctor’s office and sit in a waiting room with other under-the-weather, possibly contagious guests. This is still commonplace in most instances. But now, telemedicine “visits” have become routine for many healthcare professionals.
This trend began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-19 numbers rose, so too did telemedicine consultations as an effort to mitigate the spread of the potentially deadly illness. While telemedicine visits have declined considerably since the height of the pandemic, many still find remote consultations with healthcare professionals not only convenient, but critical.
During the pandemic, patients in rural and underserved areas were granted access to quality care to minimize COVID-19 transmission. And while those telehealth flexibilities have made a significant impact on public health in the United States, they’re still not a permanent fixture in the country’s healthcare ecosystem.
Why Expansion of Telemedicine in Rural Areas Is Important
While not as critical in major metropolitan areas, telemedicine plays an important role for those living in rural areas for several reasons:
What Poses the Greatest Challenge to Telemedicine Expansion?
Despite its various benefits, the expansion of telemedicine services also comes with its share of obstacles. Though telemedicine can potentially be a lifesaver for some patients in rural and underserved areas, others in those same communities may lack access to the technologies needed to reap its advantages.
There are also security risk factors to consider. With the transfer of both medical and banking information being conducted online, many patients, some of whom live in rural areas, have refrained from committing to healthcare’s digitization due to privacy concerns.
The Future of Telemedicine
Telemedicine has grown exponentially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, now that the world is operating closer to the way it was before the pandemic began, many patients are once again opting to make in-person doctor visits instead of connecting with providers remotely. But while telemedicine visits have seen a gradual decline, there’s still a need for healthcare access for those in underserved areas.
Telemedicine’s expansion has been promising, but until it becomes a permanent fixture in how patients in underserved areas are treated, its long-term functionality remains mercurial.
References:
Anawade, P. A., Sharma, D., & Gahane, S. (2024, March 12). A comprehensive review on exploring the impact of telemedicine on Healthcare Accessibility. Cureus. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11009553/
Shaver, J. (2022, December). The state of telehealth before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary care. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9035352/
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2021). Telemedicine for Healthcare: Capabilities, features, barriers, and applications. Sensors international. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8590973/
Haggerty, T., Stephens, H. M., Peckens, S. A., Bodkins, E., Cary, M., Dino, G. A., & Sedney, C. L. (2022). Telemedicine versus in-person primary care: Impact on visit completion rate in a rural Appalachian population. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35641051/
Ndwabe, H., Basu, A. B., & Mohammed, J. (2023, December 9). Post pandemic analysis on comprehensive utilization of telehealth and telemedicine. Clinical eHealth. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2588914123000333
Houser, S. H., Flite, C. A., & Foster, S. L. (2023, January 10). Privacy and security risk factors related to telehealth services - A systematic review. Perspectives in health information management. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9860467/
Telemedicine was not a common offering prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it's critical for those living in rural and underserved communities, and there's hope that it will be a permanent fixture in the United States' healthcare ecosystem.