Better Utilization of Telemedicine and EHealth Using Video Conferencing

Today technology has advanced by leaps and bounds and so has medical science. The ambit of medical health has gone well beyond just surgeries and administration of drugs to patients. Nowadays, it's the power of video conferencing which is ruling the roost. Doctors today are utilizing video conferencing for interactions regarding telemedicine, research, for providing individual care to patients and a host of other activities.

Meetings which are done using video conferencing greatly decrease the cost issues which arise when working with conventional systems which use Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) and Quality of Service (QOS) Systems. They also increase efficiency through the use of the MCU for connecting multiple video and audio sites to multiple conference instantly leading to better usage of time. The MCU also supports mixed ISDN as well as IP video conferencing calls.

Usage of Video Conferencing in Telemedicine and E-Health

One of the biggest applications of video conferencing is actually in case of telemedicine and e-health. That is owing to the fact that it greatly helps those patients who live in rural or far off areas and for whom accessing a full-fledged medical facility could be more of an impediment. In such instances, telemedicine and e-health services provide such features to patients which helps them in furnishing their vitals, medical records, recent or old photos among other activities.

The other uses of Video Conferencing in Telemedicine and E-Health are as follows:

For Illness Monitoring

This feature is mainly used by the governmental authorities and healthcare committees when an epidemic breaks out in order to gauge and mitigate the effects of the outbreak. Real-time situational analysis is also done using telemedicine and e-health.

For Disaster Management

The top features of telemedicine and e-health come in handy when calamities such as for example floods and earthquakes strike. During such catastrophes, when proper healthcare can't be easily accessed, setting up of telemedicine and e-health services rules out the necessity for healthcare professionals to attain out to the affected areas and thus helps in reducing the costs incurred in the transportation of physicians and medical facilities.

Consultation from a Distance

This program of telemedicine and e-health may be used in providing health services in areas which are yet to start fully functional medical facilities. That is highly beneficial for rural areas and remote places, where medical organizations are rather hesitant and apprehensive to set up fully functional institutions. In such cases, only an assessment of the medical condition of the individual is provided along with suggestions for professionals.

Taking Second Opinions

Telemedicine programs end up being highly useful in cases where the patient has been identified as having a particular ailment however the doctor would want to take a second opinion from another professional who resides in another area. The individual can also get the reviews of the principal doctor validated from another doctor using video conferencing.

Mentoring Using Video Conferencing

The top features of telemedicine and e-health may also be utilized in cases whenever a medical practitioner is unable to perform the mandatory procedures due to insufficient experience or ability. Under such circumstances, another professional can provide the mandatory guidance and help him/her in doing the job at hand and also offer an in-depth analysis.

Use for medical knowledge and increasing Awareness in Community

Telemedicine and e-health programs can be utilized for spreading awareness among the masses through the outbreak of epidemics without the need for a medical expert to be at ground zero. Video conferencing greatly aids in reaching out to a broad audience simultaneously for the dissemination of information and that too, quickly.

James Hadley is an analyst of the healthcare industry and constantly writes on isses regarding healthcare. Today he's got written article on Telemedicine and E-Health solutions. Read this short article and get to know more about Telemedicine services.