Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a massive rise in the investment and adoption of telemedicine. Telemedicine has quickly become a routine way for patients to access healthcare services, especially in rural and remote areas. 

This growth in telemedicine and overall telehealth systems has changed doctor-patient interactions nationwide. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that in 2021, 37% of adults used a telemedicine service.

Telemedicine is revolutionizing healthcare. It allows patients to easily access their medical teams from home, from GPs to specialists, and even nurses who have completed MSN to NP programs.

If you’re interested in how telemedicine has transformed the medical landscape and doctor-patient relationships, this article is for you. It explores the changes caused by telemedicine and the impact of telehealth systems.

What is telemedicine?

Telemedicine is a subset of telehealth and refers to the provision of remote clinical services. The process consists of real-time two-way communication between a patient and their healthcare provider, usually over the phone or a video call.

It’s important not to confuse the term “telemedicine” with “telehealth”. Telehealth is a broad term that encompasses any use of telecommunications technology to provide health-related education, training, care, or services. 

“Telemedicine” specifically covers only the delivery of healthcare services using telecommunication services. While telemedicine has existed since the mid-1900s, it has become prominent in the past decade due to various factors, including:

• The growth of the internet
• The rise of smart technology
• The COVID-19 pandemic

Patients can use telemedicine to connect to a wide range of healthcare services.  It’s possible to use telemedicine to consult with doctors, psychologists, nurses, and even specialists.

The benefits

Telemedicine offers various advantages over traditional appointments for both the patient and their healthcare provider. 

Some of the benefits of telemedicine include:.

• Increased accessibility: Telemedicine has made it easier for people living in rural/remote areas or with mobility impairments to access health services. Similarly, it allows healthcare professionals to provide services in areas they wouldn’t have been able to previously.
• Comfort and convenience: With telemedicine, people can see a doctor from the comfort of their own bed or sofa. Not only is this convenient, it can also improve quality of life and comfort, especially if the person is sick or feels anxious about visiting clinics.
• Disease control: Telemedicine played a crucial role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 while providing/receiving healthcare services. It saves sick people from coming into the office, potentially spreading germs to their healthcare provider and other people there. 

Telemedicine also makes it easier for a third party to join a health consultation. This is particularly helpful for people who require additional support from a friend or family member to help ask questions and make decisions on their behalf.

The rise of telemedicine

A recent study published in the National Library of Medicine found that before COVID-19, telemedicine was underused. It wasn’t until the pandemic that telemedicine started to grow in the United States and become an integral part of medical care.

Statistics show that approximately 20% of all US health care visits in 2020 were conducted by telemedicine. Even after the initial COVID-19 outbreak has passed, telemedicine has remained and become commonplace, transforming healthcare.

Further research has shown that at least 80% of people have accessed care via telemedicine at least once in their lives. Similarly, it’s becoming more common for younger generations (e.g., millennials) to prefer teleconsultations over in-person appointments.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that over 70% of primary care physicians and medical specialists can provide a similar quality of care during telemedicine visits as in-person visits.

The rise of telemedicine has brought with it numerous benefits and forever changed the landscape of healthcare. Telemedicine is also rewriting doctor-patient relationships, as it changes how they interact.

Doctor-patient relationships

Telemedicine has a multifaceted impact on the relationship between healthcare providers (e.g., doctors and psychologists) and their patients. One of the main changes is that it allows providers to gain more insight into patients’ lives and living situations.

This insight can allow for a more holistic, informed approach to delivering care. Interestingly enough, another way telemedicine is rewriting doctor-patient relationships is through trust. Studies have found that telehealth tools can reduce the rate at which trust is built. Because of the nature of communicating over the phone or video calls, it can also impact some healthcare professions, such as psychologists. It can be harder to connect with a patient and interpret signs, like body language.

For people from marginalized communities, such as people of color or people part of the LGBTQI+ community, telemedicine can help improve doctor-patient relationships. This is because it allows more variety in who patients can choose as their primary doctor. For example, people who are part of the LGBTQI+ community can use online resources to find inclusive doctors and book a consultation, even if they’re states away. They don’t have to worry about acceptance or “shopping around” for an inclusive, in-person doctor.

The ways doctor-patient relationships are transforming are only the start. With telehealth being incorporated into other healthcare sectors, such as pharmacies, pathology, and radiology, the medical landscape is going to undergo a revolution.

The benefits of telemedicine currently outweigh the drawbacks, and as digital health tools develop, the disadvantages should be minimized. The telemedicine and telehealth market is expected to grow in the coming years.