How Telehealth is Changing the Face of Pediatrics
Telehealth is rapidly growing, changing the way pediatric care is delivered. With telehealth, parents can now take advantage of nurse triage, after hours services, urgent care, and prescription refills without having to leave their home. This can be a huge relief for parents who have a busy schedule or for those with young children. Let's discuss the benefits of telehealth in pediatric care and how it is revolutionizing the industry.
One of the advantages of telehealth is that it increases the frequency of care, without necessarily involving a nurse or doctor. Chronic conditions can be monitored from home, such as monitoring blood sugar levels and irregular heart rates. Parents can easily schedule appointments and check-ups with their pediatrician without interrupting work. Telehealth makes it easier to get urgent care when needed. If a child is sick in the middle of the night, parents can contact after hours telehealth services to either schedule an appointment or for phone based first aid. This convenience is a huge benefit for parents who might otherwise have to take their child to the emergency room.
Another advantage is providing pediatricians with the ability to triage patients, whether during business hours or after. This means that pediatricians can prioritize urgent cases and offer care accordingly. This is a huge benefit for parents who might be worried about their child’s health but don’t know if they need to take them to the doctor right away. With telehealth, parents can simply call or video chat with their pediatrician to get advice on whether or not their child needs to be seen. Many times this can be handled by a nurse or other trained professional, helping to connect patients to an appropriate care provider more quickly.
Telehealth can also be used to refill prescriptions. This is a benefit for parents who might not have time to go to the pharmacy or who live in areas where pharmacies are not easily accessible. With telehealth, parents can simply log on to their pediatrician’s website and request a prescription refill. Some services also allow refills via a phone call. The pediatrician can then send the prescription directly to the pharmacy, making it easy and convenient for parents to get the medication their child needs. Some pharmacies fill prescriptions like this via mail, avoiding the need for patients to leave their home.
Parents also feel more comfortable having the ability to quickly and remotely contact a doctor. Whether with a question, or a serious emergency, this is a comfort to parents. The worry of caring for multiple children is lessened, and the child can be evaluated in a comfortable environment before moving on to in person care. A parent concerned with an injury can quickly be evaluated by a third party on whether emergency care is required. With the potentially large expense of an emergency room visit, which may or may not be totally covered by insurance, this can help reduce health care costs. This type of pediatric care is much more affordable, and in many cases, the child can be cared for at home.
Telehealth is revolutionizing pediatric care by increasing access to care, convenience, and affordability. It also provides parents with peace of mind knowing they can quickly and easily contact a pediatrician when needed. What other benefits have you seen from integrating telehealth services with pediatrics? Let us know below.
