Telemedicine is the rendering of long-distance medical services through the use of communication and information technologies. Through the use of computers and any relevant software, a doctor or nurse can reach out to their patients—who may reside in another part of the country—conduct a regular checkup, and even reach an acceptable diagnosis of their condition through the use of appropriate measures. It can also be used in cases where the patient needs a second opinion on their standard physician’s diagnosis.

Communication technologies have evolved to the point where anyone can instantly reach out to another person in the world, regardless of the physical distance that separates them. These advances have helped tremendously in the advancement of the field of medicine by allowing doctors to communicate, not only with their patients, but with other health providers as well. Gone are the days when a patient had to function as a “messenger” for the doctor that referred him to a specialist, potentially polluting the original message and causing difficulties in treating the condition at hand. Modern telemedicine allows providers to communicate with each other to share information about patients, such as test results and other vital data, in real-time.

However, the field of telemedicine itself is nothing new; it has existed since the early 1800’s when doctors and physicians used the telegraph, and other communication means to render services to remote locations that didn’t have access to any professional physicians. Nowadays, the field has advanced to the point where most patients can even download a special app, and schedule an appointment in a matter of minutes, in those times when they are too ill to make their way to the doctor’s office.

Telemedicine in Nursing

However, the applications of these communication tools are not limited exclusively to doctors and physicians, as nurses can also benefit significantly from telemedicine. Through virtual consults, nurses can conduct private one-on-one follow-up sessions with patients that have recently been treated through various means. It also allows them to share doctor’s instructions and other useful information with those who may not be willing or able to pay a visit to the office. However, most importantly, telemedicine allows nurses, especially those that work in private settings such as insurers, to reach out to communities that would not be able to receive adequate medical attention otherwise.

Aside from the ability to treat patients regardless of their location, the fact that nurses or patients don’t have to physically travel to a place to give or receive aid allows these professionals to serve a much higher volume of patients in the same timeframe.

Natasha Prevost FNP-BC, a nurse who provides telemedicine services for a Dallas-based wellness company providing corporate biometric screenings and heart disease prevention education, is currently adapting to working with telemedicine, as her company recently made the switch earlier this year. “This mode of care delivery has been well received with our population,” says Prevost. “Providing services via telemedicine has been a highly effective avenue for use to reach increased volumes of patients living in remote areas. In this way, we are able to spend an adequate amount of time promoting prevention and wellness comfortable and privately to a diverse population.”

There are some significant challenges to providing telemedicine, however. For instance, physicians who are not licensed in the state where the patient is located cannot provide care to nor treat these individuals, regardless of their condition. In this sense, the capacity to reach out to patients in different states will depend entirely on the number of state licenses that the health provider possesses.

Furthermore, other issues may arise at the moment of billing the patient as most insurers won’t cover the expenses incurred from audio consultations. Since they are not considered face-to-face sessions, medical checkups performed on the phone can’t be billed for insurance purposes. However, those that feature both audio and video through a screen do count as face-to-face consultations can be charged appropriately. Nevertheless, an inherent factor of telemedicine, especially if the network infrastructure is not adequately set up, are the transmission errors that cause quality loss during checkups, which may decrease the overall quality of service and lower the patient satisfaction scores.

The pros far outweigh the cons, especially in Prevost’s case, whose company has wholly embraced telemedicine. This organization reaches out to the patients about many subjects, including metabolic syndrome and heart disease, and gives them valuable information on how to improve their condition, all while they are at work and without interrupting their usual hectic schedules. Furthermore, as communication tools keep evolving, the process of providing remote care to the patients will only continue to improve. “Because my company simplifies processes for our consultations, both the patients and providers have been highly satisfied.”

For now, all it takes is a computer or smartphone on both ends, and a license to practice medicine in the state where the patient is located, and that’s it!