When you live in a small town out in the middle of nowhere, you are sometimes faced with the decision of whether or not you want or can afford to go to the doctor. If the drive is particularly long, you may not even be able to take yourself there and instead have to suffer at home until someone can help you. Until recently, there was no way for doctors or nurses to be able to assist patients like you. Now, however, with telemedicine, rural residents like you can be seen by healthcare specialists without leaving your hometown.
This type of medical care is not something that itself is necessarily new. It actually is at least 20 years old and originated when nurses, doctors, and other healthcare providers used to drive RVs or vans that served as medical clinics on wheels. People in the town or county could come to the vehicles to receive basic services that ranged from blood pressure checks to vaccines. If a consultation was necessary, the provider had to make a phone call to a specialist or facility miles away.
Today, however, these vehicles now have wireless technology that allows providers to Skype or meet virtually with other doctors, nurses, and specialists in faraway cities. They no longer have to make phone calls and tell the patients to wait for an answer. With the touch of a button on a computer, smartphone, or tablet, they can initiate and set up a meeting in a matter of seconds.
It also serves as a platform by which a doctor can view a patient's medical records without the paperwork having to be scanned, faxed, or mailed into him or her. The patient likewise gets the chance to speak to a doctor face to face and have questions answered, concerns allayed, and other needs met. This individual has no need to get in his or her car and drive miles away to a big city just to visit the provider in person.
Another advantage that it offers involves serving an at-risk population. Senior citizens in particular often find themselves lacking in healthcare services they need to stay healthy and safe. When they live in a rural community, their needs are compounded simply because of geography.
With this type of outreach, they instead can drive to town and see a doctor or nurse right away. They might receive care for illnesses and injuries like pneumonia, broken bones, and cuts. If they require certain medications, they also could get prescriptions and refills from the outreach program.
To pay for the services, many rural communities and hospitals are getting grants from a variety of sources. These include bigger hospitals wanting to branch out their reach to rural residents. It also includes the federal and state government sources.
Many rural and remote areas of the country do not have adequate hospitals, medical clinic, and other health services. They rely on clinics on wheels to come to them. These vehicles are equipped with wireless Internet that allows the providers in them to contact specialists in bigger towns miles away. Patients benefit from the instant care and the accessibility of specialized medicine.
This type of medical care is not something that itself is necessarily new. It actually is at least 20 years old and originated when nurses, doctors, and other healthcare providers used to drive RVs or vans that served as medical clinics on wheels. People in the town or county could come to the vehicles to receive basic services that ranged from blood pressure checks to vaccines. If a consultation was necessary, the provider had to make a phone call to a specialist or facility miles away.
Today, however, these vehicles now have wireless technology that allows providers to Skype or meet virtually with other doctors, nurses, and specialists in faraway cities. They no longer have to make phone calls and tell the patients to wait for an answer. With the touch of a button on a computer, smartphone, or tablet, they can initiate and set up a meeting in a matter of seconds.
It also serves as a platform by which a doctor can view a patient's medical records without the paperwork having to be scanned, faxed, or mailed into him or her. The patient likewise gets the chance to speak to a doctor face to face and have questions answered, concerns allayed, and other needs met. This individual has no need to get in his or her car and drive miles away to a big city just to visit the provider in person.
Another advantage that it offers involves serving an at-risk population. Senior citizens in particular often find themselves lacking in healthcare services they need to stay healthy and safe. When they live in a rural community, their needs are compounded simply because of geography.
With this type of outreach, they instead can drive to town and see a doctor or nurse right away. They might receive care for illnesses and injuries like pneumonia, broken bones, and cuts. If they require certain medications, they also could get prescriptions and refills from the outreach program.
To pay for the services, many rural communities and hospitals are getting grants from a variety of sources. These include bigger hospitals wanting to branch out their reach to rural residents. It also includes the federal and state government sources.
Many rural and remote areas of the country do not have adequate hospitals, medical clinic, and other health services. They rely on clinics on wheels to come to them. These vehicles are equipped with wireless Internet that allows the providers in them to contact specialists in bigger towns miles away. Patients benefit from the instant care and the accessibility of specialized medicine.
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