Telemedicine Saves Lives in Disaster Zones
The UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) reported 65.3 million people were displaced from their homes in 2015. More than 21 million were refugees. Telehealth provided by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is helping them. MSF is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organization which delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters, and those with no […]
‘Facebooking’ your doctor’s appointment
Agostina Giorgio of the Polytechnic University of Bari in Italy has published a very interesting paper about telehealth. The paper is “Social networks, apps and smartphones for telemedicine”. Giorgio sees telehealth as a nearly all inclusive solution for a large number of people. He has created an app called Care-App which allows private and secure communication between […]
Telehealth Performance – How Good Is It?
Telehealth is here to stay, but it will go through an evolution like all new technology shifts. A new study evaluated performance of teledermatology. The results were mixed. There were incorrect diagnoses and missed diagnoses. Treatment recommendations were not always consistent with guidelines. Prescriptions frequently lacked disclosure about possible adverse effects. The study was limited because […]
Optometrists Want Laws Blocking Online Eye Exams
Telehealth is picking up a huge head of steam. Like iTunes, Amazon, Uber, airBnB and many other disruptors, telehealth for eye exams is getting resistance from the status quo. A telemedicine startup Opternative now offers a quick, inexpensive alternative to traditional optical exams using your computer and smartphone. After a 25-minute online exam, an ophthalmologist will approve the results and issue […]
Telehealth is Hot and Getting Hotter
If you are not sure telehealth is for real, check Teladoc’s 2015 annual report. It seems they are just getting warmed up. For the first quarter of this year, the company completed 240,000 telemedicine visits, up 61 percent from 149,000 visits during the same period last year. Teladoc also added 870 new customers in January. About 40 […]
