Can you imagine having to drive hundreds of miles just to see a doctor? Well, with the new technology you don’t have to. Telehealth is a new emerging way to provide health care even to those in rural areas. This technology is especially important for those in northwest Alaska. The Maniilaq Association was formed to provide health and social services to people in the borough (a group of 11 rural villages) (Telehealth in the tundra). Think about how this would affect you, if you lived in a rural community. Would it change your opinion to just see a nurse practitioner in person and see a doctor via a TV screen? As you continue to read I am going to explain what telehealth is, the benefits of telehealth, and the disadvantages of telehealth.
What …show more content…
(Rural 2016) Telehealth can also include services such as video conferencing, “store-and-forward date, images, or video,” and remote monitoring of patients. The Maniilaq association established telemedicine in each clinic through the borough which included the store-and-forward technology (Telemedicine 2016.) Some of the specialties might include radiology, psychiatry, ophthalmology, and even dentistry all through telehealth. This aspect of healthcare can easily affect anyone and everyone.
Benefits of Telehealth
There is a vast array of benefits when it comes to telehealth and rural aspects. As a whole telehealth increases care volume and quality of care to patients. For the Maniilaq Association they have made the entire telehealth system customized to their needs of each community (Telehealth in the tundra.) As well as reducing costs, it benefits by keeping patients at home longer and unneeded emergency room visits. Not to mention not having to drive long distances but it also allows small hospitals to provide quality care to locals. Financially speaking it is more cost effective not having to staff facilities and long term homes with physicians. Telehealth is all virtual, what may seem like sci-fi to