When you think about the ways that technology has improved medicine, your mind probably shifts to the obvious: robot-assisted surgery (you may even be aware of the latest developments in the use of tungsten wiring in such robots, as seen in this link), revolutionary drugs, or cutting-edge cancer treatments. But there’s another, equally important way that health care is being transformed by technology-it’s in the way that doctors are reaching patients and providing better, more personalized care. This overall gives a better patient experience (learn more about patient experience via this site) for those in hospital care, as they feel more connected to their doctors and ultimately their health care.
Telemedicine (or telehealth) is defined as the use of technology to remotely diagnose and treat patients through smartphones, tablets or computers.
Doctors use it with each other all the time-to consult with other doctors or specialists on a patient’s case, or to exchange information for a patient’s benefit. When a child receives an X-ray or MRI at a Nemours hospital, the Nemours radiologist who interprets the child images maybe in a different state. But with telemedicine, that radiologist can provide Nemours doctors with an expert interpretation right away. And now, with offerings like Nemours CareConnect, parents can get in on a truly revolutionary service: on-demand visits with a pediatrician-any time, and from virtually anywhere.
Nemours CareConnect brings the pediatrician to the family. All that’s needed are a smart device or computer, the Nemours CareConnect app, and a patient. Through the virtual visit, a pediatrician can review basic symptoms, check for visible symptoms, answer questions and even prescribe medications.
Here’s why you’ll see more options like Nemours CareConnect in the future: telemedicine has been shown to help doctors provide more patient- and family-centered care, lower costs across the board, and improve access to care for the children who need it most. Telemedicine has been especially beneficial for children who live in rural areas and need ongoing care or mental health check-ins regularly, but it’s also a life-changing benefit for families who live close to their primary care doctors, but may need care at odd hours of the day-or when they can’t break away from a daily routine to see the pediatrician.
Telemedicine can be most helpful for patients and doctors when it has a “home.” This means that-instead of seeing one primary care pediatrician, a specialist in a separate health care network, and yet another doctor via CareConnect-patients benefit most when their pediatrician and specialists are in the same group of physicians as the ones they see with CareConnect. At Nemours, this means that specialists, primary care pediatricians and CareConnect doctors can all share the same information, make easy referrals, and provide timely and valuable follow-up care.
A child who has a history of ophthalmologic care at a Nemours Specialty Care location, for example, might need an appointment for pinkeye at 11:30 on a Saturday night. With Nemours CareConnect, the child gets the care when they need it, their medical information is updated, and they can visit their Nemours pediatrician for follow-up, if it’s needed. This integration can make an incredible difference in the quality of comprehensive care that a child receives-all while potentially reducing costs and offering more convenience across the board.
In our partner hospitals, Nemours is able to provide subspecialty Pediatric providers with Nemours CareConnect. While being in one of our two hospitals gives your child access to any our pediatric sub-specialists, Nemours CareConnect helps us give care to children in our partner hospitals-no physical transfer necessary.
At select Nemours Primary Care locations, you can see a Nemours specialist without having to drive to our hospitals. This helps you and your Nemours provider care for your child without extra travel.
Just like all other forms of technology in health care, telemedicine will continue to develop at a rapid pace. It’s good news for the patients who need quality care, the providers who need to ongoing access to patients, and the parents who can’t always drop everything to head to a physician’s office.
