Telemedicine Defined
According to Medicare.gov, telemedicine (which may also be referred to as “telehealth”, “e-health” or “virtual healthcare”) ”seeks to improve a patient’s health by permitting two-way, real time interactive communication between the patient, and the physician or practitioner at the distant site. This electronic communication means the use of interactive telecommunications equipment that includes, at a minimum, audio and video equipment.”
Evidence-Based vs Symptoms-Based Telemedicine
Many are using the term “telemedicine” with widely varying definitions, so it’s worth understanding what telemedicine means and how it is being used.
With evidence-based Telemedicine clinicians can evaluate, diagnose and treat patients remotely using store-and-forward technology &/or real-time video conferencing. Remote healthcare practitioners can capture and transmit medical data to share with peers and specialists around the corner or around the world.
With symptoms-based Telemedicine, a clinician communicates with a patient by phone or video chat. The clinician makes their diagnosis based upon the symptoms that the patient provides, which is typically not backed up with clinical evidence.