5 Challenges of Telemedicine faced by Practitioners

The medical world is ever-changing. Technology is now playing a significant role in the medical sector. As physicians look for new ways to treat patients on a daily basis, technology has brought many great advancements to the medical sector. You can get access to medical facilities or information that would usually be inaccessible. But this emerging technology also has some technical challenges.

Telemedicine can save time, compared to traditional care, both for the person seeking the treatment and for the provider. Though, for this to be accurate, the health care provider has to provide on-site telemedicine equipment. Telemedicine definitely has its high points but also has some challenges.

Some common challenges Practitioners face while using telemedicine in healthcare:

Challenges in Telemedicine

Every technology comes with benefits and some challenges. Telemedicine technology also poses some challenges for practitioners to provide immaculate healthcare services. Although telemedicine is growing rapidly over the decade and also it has many benefits. The below list will make you aware of the challenges associated with telemedicine technology-

1. Fewer in-person consultations

The major downside of telemedicine in healthcare is Specialists cannot personally examine the patient and the prescription will be given on the basis of reports submitted by patients for diagnosis. In the case where no examination is needed patients should use Telehealth which doesn’t require a physical examination for diagnosis.

2. Medicare Reimbursements

Reimbursement policies and other healthcare rules are trying to deal with this rapidly growing industry. As a practitioner, you will encourage the best practices for Medicare services. Major developments have been made in telehealth despite Telemedicine.

3. Broadband Connections Issue

Telemedicine is a telecommunication technology where internet connection is a basic need for services like video conferencing, chat, emails, etc. Adverse weather or other annoyances can cause a power outage or interrupt an Internet connection, complicating a doctor’s online consultation. The practitioner will have to keep that in mind before arranging the online visits.

4. Inadequate Patients Record

Patients are using telemedicine services on demand. Due to this primary care providers may not be aware of the records from other resources. Shuffling of the service provider raises the likelihood of a doctor not understanding a patient’s background or their treatment routines.

5. Technical Training

Every new technology requires training to adapt in order to offer effective healthcare services. A specialist/practitioner needs to be trained on the new system in order to provide appropriate healthcare services. Training is an important part of this technology. Every new technology needs to be understood in such a way that providers should use it effectively. It can also decrease the staffing requirements. For example, a nurse in a rural the hospital may use telemedicine services to track up to 50 patients at once from a single location.