Table 1.
Telemedicine applications areas for the Healthcare sector.
| S No |
Applications | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telehealth | Technological advancements and healthcare creativity have considerably expanded their applicability. With the implementation of this technology in Healthcare, clinicians, researchers, lab staff, and doctors may also use the concept of telehealth. It is now time for hospital systems, medical groups, suppliers and to incorporate telemedicine into their medical services. In addition, many organisations want to collaborate with a telemedicine provider to ease the process and deployment. Telemedicine is performed by using a telemedicine device, which includes a computer and handheld medical equipment. Physicians also use high-resolution imaging cameras to give accurate diagnostic photographs to experts. | [[82], [83], [84], [85]] |
| 2 | Facilitate service to disabled patients | Telemedicine facilitates access to services for a patient having disabilities. It also increases access for other groups, such as the elderly, the culturally isolated, and the incarcerated. Telemedicine can aid in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions. It is effective when an individual receives medical attention from a competent provider who gives detailed information about their symptoms. According to some reports, patients who use telemedicine spend less time in the hospital, saving money. Additionally, less travel time could imply lesser secondary expenditures such as petrol. | [[86], [87], [88], [89]] |
| 3 | Remote treatment | Remote treatment can be done virtually, which have been found a successful way to keep people out of the hospital. Patients who wish to see a provider with highly specialised experience of a specific illness will do so without driving long distances and video visits. Each specialist's knowledge and skills can be used to the best use. Healthcare can be a competitive sport at times, with primary care and specialist physicians collaborating to ensure the best possible health result for the patient. Telemedicine facilitates this by allowing all clinicians to communicate with the patient and each other through a safe remote link. | [[90], [91], [92], [93]] |
| 4 | Treatments of school-going children | Telemedicine can play an essential role in the treatment of our rapidly ageing population. When a child becomes ill at school, they can see a school nurse or be picked up by their parents and taken to an urgent care facility and mostly inconvenient and perhaps needless. The forward-thinking schools can partner with doctors to perform video tours from the classroom. The provider may decide what action is required and provide parents with guidance or reassurance. It has also been shown that having on-call doctors accessible overnight and on weekends will help keep patients who live in assisted living facilities out of the hospital. | [[94], [95], [96], [97]] |
| 5 | Effective for disorders not requiring lab examination | Telemedicine is effective for any disorder that does not necessitate laboratory examinations or a physical exam. This technology also provides continuing treatment, such as psychotherapy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a patient who lives long distances away from a primary care centre can also achieve better treatment. The patient who is unable to transport themselves, providers can broaden the list of conditions they are willing to handle. For example, a doctor might use telemedicine to administer antibiotics for a possible infection. | [[98], [99], [100], [101]] |
| 6 | Doctor's appointment virtually | In this age of social distancing, millions of people look forward to virtual doctor appointments. Telemedicine has improved medication management, patient quality of life, and reduced healthcare costs. Telemedicine app growth is now a key target for healthcare providers who want to deliver healthcare services to patients online and remotely. This technology creates suitable telemedicine applications for doctors and patients. In addition, patients find it dependable and straightforward when minimal specifics are combined with a robust authentication mechanism. | [[102], [103], [104], [105]] |
| 7 | Enhance overall healthcare system performance | Telehealth refers to a wide variety of technology and facilities used to provide patient care and enhance the overall performance of the healthcare system. Telemedicine encompasses a greater range of online healthcare facilities. In addition to healthcare care, it is applied to remote non-clinical services such as provider recruitment, administrative meetings, and continuing medical education. Telemedicine uses mobile messaging and assistive tools to deliver health care to people who cannot see a doctor physically. This technology is also suitable for follow-up appointments, chronic illness treatment, expert consultation, drug management, and various other health resources that can be accessed remotely through secure video and audio connections. | [[106], [107], [108]] |
| 8 | Improve patient coordination | Telemedicine has the potential to improve patient coordination and better healthcare services. Treatment shortages, overuse of medical care, inadequate drug use, and unnecessary or overlapping care may also result from fragmented care. The patient can quickly pay the nominal charges of telehealth services. This service can be provided to patient comfortably which improve patient's coordination with the doctor. Patients benefit from fewer days away from work, fewer travel costs or time, less overlap with the child or elder care duties, privacy, and no proximity to potentially infectious patients. | [[109], [110], [111]] |
| 9 | Minimise travelling of patients | Telehealth would drastically decrease the amount of time available for appointments. Patients will no longer have to waste hours travelling to or waiting in a hospital. Now, they will be able to make an appointment online and then navigate to their meeting with the app. Furthermore, Healthcare can be more affordable than ever before. A patient can be able to meet with a doctor from the safety of their own homes. It may also help those who need emergency medical attention. Doctors who can view on-demand necessitate the use of an internal database of built-in queries. Fast and straightforward access can also be provided by a variety of application programming interfaces and facilities. | [[112], [113], [114], [115]] |
| 10 | Teledentistry | This technology enhances dental care, allowing dentists to obtain teeth, dentures, and other dentistry parts photographs or other related evidence to evaluate and transfer it to another practitioner for examination. The critical advantage of telemedicine in dentistry is to exchange records among dentists and dental specialists to decide if a particular treatment is required. Specialists may also assist dentists in identifying problem areas and recommending prevention steps to patients to stop expensive and complex procedures. Like other telemedicine applications, this partnership benefits people in remote or underserved areas who may not usually have access to medical specialists. | [[116], [117], [118], [119]] |
| 11 | Better service for clinician and patient | Telemedicine provides rapid growth, which offers many benefits to both clinicians and patients. The paramount need for any healthcare provider is to have better patient services, which telemedicine systems will achieve while still assisting physicians to refine and improve their private practice. As a result, developing medical video conferencing applications in some kind of medical institution is critical in order to make better medicine. The gap barrier is a well-known cause in the healthcare sector using telemedicine technology. This is due to the seriousness of the global shortage of skilled healthcare providers. This shortage of doctors can be easily fulfilled by using this technology. | [[120], [121], [122], [123]] |
| 12 | Digital health monitoring | Telemedicine systems with digital health monitoring capabilities, combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning, will provide more accurate diagnoses and treatment recommendations. Using video conferencing tools and machine learning technologies with the help of each patient's case will enable refining the algorithm to provide a better diagnosis for each one. Telemedicine is the method of connecting physicians in one area with patients in another using networking devices. Appointment, review, and photography transcript applications provide an alternative to in-person sessions. It allows doctors and patients to be safe in a pandemic and expand the medical services digitally. | [[124], [125], [126]] |
| 13 | Skincare | Patients can communicate with their dermatologist through telemedicine by using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Dermatologists may evaluate patients suffering from psoriasis, bedsores, eczema, and other conditions using high-resolution photographs and film. This is particularly useful for patients who are confined to their homes. Dermatologists can safely and reliably identify and treat skincare disorders using telemedicine technologies. Furthermore, it prevents a patient from going to a doctor, but it also lets them keep their integrity. Telemedicine will help the doctor to communicate more effectively. Any healthcare providers have electronic patient management services in place. | [[127], [128], [129], [130]] |
| 14 | Track patient for medication | Telemedicine technology allows providers and other healthcare personnel to track when and how their patients take their medication. Physicians will now track their patients' welfare over long distances using high-tech medical equipment. This technology enables information such as pulse rhythm, blood pressure, glucose levels, and more by transmitting data from one system to another. Since older adults are more likely to fail to take their prescriptions, so telemedicine may help in this regard. | [[131], [132], [133], [134], [135]] |
| 15 | Secure patient from infectious disease | Telemedicine helps everyone live in a safe world. For example, patients suffering from the flu or a cold should consult with their doctor without taking germs into the workplace. When providing guidance and tracking patient success, providers are well secured from infectious diseases. This encompassing solution incorporates robust network security capabilities as well as managed access rights management. This can help to secure patient information shared over telemedicine devices. It is also a way to reduce the number of emergency department visits. | [[136], [137], [138], [139]] |
| 16 | Cost-effective | When compared to conventional ways of healthcare administration, telemedicine is a more cost-effective approach. This is valid since physicians and patients do not need to travel each time; they need to see a doctor or patient. In addition, video consultations are typically less expensive than in-person consultations, saving money on travel and hospital setup costs. Furthermore, making the online booking as well as video conferencing included in healthcare solution saves money. This is particularly useful in areas where patients may find it challenging to get to a hospital for medical care. Another thing that telemedicine is doing is expanding the medical industry's frontiers. This field's studies, science, and growth are now made more available. With the assistance of video conferencing streamlines, medical students' schooling and preparation are now more realistic. |
[[140], [141], [142]] |
| 17 | Reduce face to face meeting | Telemedicine has several functional applications. In certain situations, face-to-face meetings are unavoidable, which can be easily sort-out by using this technology. This offers its own set of advantages that increase the hospital's overall operability. On the other hand, telemedicine allows healthcare providers to monitor several patients simultaneously without leaving the hospital. There are appointments and supervision through telemedicine, which helps relieve overcrowding in emergency departments and care for patients in more critical conditions. Hospitals can exchange medical details for offering care even more quickly with the aid of telemedicine. Finally, it provides treatment for patients who need supervision contributes to a reduction in overall health risk. | [[143], [144], [145]] |