Telehealth, Telemedicine, and Telecare: What's What?

Surely, many times you may have imagined the relevance that technology would have in the healthcare sector but, surely, what we imagined was not even close to the relevance it has today. Keep reading and discover how historical events such as a pandemic have caused people to find their well-being through mobile devices with telehealthcare and the development of specific software.

Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine a scenario where medical care is not carried out through mobile devices and remote applications. There is no doubt that telehealthcare is here to stay.

On the other hand, no one thought that education could overcome the barriers of social distance, since only an Internet connection and an enabled device are enough to facilitate online classes and continue with academic training.

Digital platforms and emerging technologies continue to evolve and adapt to the new arising challenges, even more, they adapt to the needs of medical professionals and other healthcare providers to continue their services remotely and interact with patients optimally through a telehealthcare model.

Telehealth, Telemedicine, and Telecare are not the same

When we read these terms, the ability to carry out remote consultations quickly comes to mind, but the reality is that they encompass a great advance in medical services, since people have access to a medical consultation at any time and in any place.

We break down these terms according to their definition and use:

Telehealth

Telemedicine

Telecare

It refers to the services that are carried out through video calls and other technological tools, in addition to the fact that they allow more access than a single doctor can carry out. Telehealthcare involves more staff dedicated to providing health care, such as nurses, medical assistants or social workers.

It also provides information or education related to the topic of health.

This service focuses on providing medical care, where only one person trained to practice medicine and give prescriptions to patients remotely is enough. Telemedicine is often confused with telehealth, due to the similarity of services offered in each one.

It is a service designed for patients who need immediate medical attention; It consists of a device that allows requesting help urgently. It usually consists of a bracelet and a fixed microphone that complement each other. It is aimed at the elderly, disabled or patients with chronic illnesses that prevent them from leaving their home.

As expected, these services have increased in popularity in the past few years, taking advantage of the confinement that was forced by COVID-19, which has meant their evolution and reaffirming their presence in the health industry.

The path of health consolidation in technology

One thing is certain, telehealthcare: telehealth, telemedicine and telecare share the purpose of providing medical care to people, which is why they have found in technological platforms and mobile devices the perfect allies to achieve it. Evidence of this is that the systems dedicated to these purposes have evolved and are in a moment of expansion.

​​Up to this moment, these telehealthcare options continue to generate great technological progress, which translates into advantages for both the medical service provider and the patient:

• By using specialized software on the subject, the information is digitized. This allows the doctors recording patient information, which enables an easier monitoring of the treatment and its progress, access to medical history and collection of information to make diagnoses and treatments based on intelligent decisions.

• Thanks to its ease of access, it is possible to provide the medical care that the patient requires regardless of the specialty. In this sense, unnecessary transfers are also eliminated.

• The platforms offer the great advantage of having specialized modules in health matters, so it is possible to optimize times and generate queries, as well as transparent and real-time follow-up.

• One of the main purposes of these health systems is to stop the cyclical spread of diseases, which is unquestionably fulfilled.

• It is no secret that the health access cost is often an impediment to requesting a consultation, receiving timely treatment or being admitted to a hospital, so these tools help save money considerably, which is considered one of the best advantages for patients. Likewise, the inequality gap is reduced and all patients are treated regardless of their physical location when using telehealthcare.

• Healthcare does not stop, since the service can be provided at any time, from any device and anywhere, especially in the case of telehealth and telemedicine.

• By associating these platforms with other services such as providers of health supplies and prescription and over-the-counter medicines, these services complement each other and provide the patient with an even more complete service that goes beyond just a remote medical consultation.

It is undeniable that there are still many areas for improvement and opportunity for telehealthcare services, especially in the way of obtaining patient information without having direct contact, so when considering implementing them, the support of specialized software developers is necessary.

On the other hand, these platforms must always comply with health regulations that have the purpose of not putting the lives of patients and their private data at risk, so they must be used with care and with all technological standards from the beginning of their development until its implementation.

At Icalia Labs we are aware of the seriousness and professionalism that this type of software requires, and we believe that it is vital that the health industry promotes the digitization and implementation of disruptive technologies, which is why one of our business areas is based on enabling doctors and health professionals through software, services, digital experiences and comprehensive solutions to improve the medical sector.  Check out our case studies from previous work in this space.  

Do you want to know more about these solutions? Would you like to start seeing your business take off quickly and agilely? Learn more here, and discover how these platforms adjust to the service and administration needs of our clients in order to digitize their service to patients and evolve the health sector.

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