Telemedicine has continued to emerge as a powerful tool for health care delivery, over the past decade. Its application has not only improved access to care, but led to greater resource efficiency, and decreased costs associated with traditional in-facility visits. Telemedicine is at the forefront of a transformation affecting health care providers and the patients they treat. From prenatal care to senior care, initial consultations to remote monitoring & postoperative care, a wide range of virtual interventions have been introduced over the years. You can book an appointment with an expert doctor online with telemedicine.
Telemedicine has been adopted in several domains of surgical care. In recent years, the role of telemedicine in postoperative care has caught attention as it has delivered excellent clinical outcomes, enhanced patient satisfaction, increased accessibility along with reduced wait times, and cost savings for patients and health care systems. Online doctors can provide you quality post-op care in the comfort of your home.
Postoperative care is the care you receive after a surgical procedure. The type of postoperative care you need depends on the type of surgery you have, as well as your health history. It often includes pain management and wound care. This shift is prompted by the high costs of in-facility care and barriers in access to care, especially during the recent Coronavirus Pandemic. It isn't uncommon to wait a week or more for an appointment with a primary care doctor, while the wait for specialties is even longer, particularly for rural populations. The time spent traveling and waiting for treatment is a significant drain on patients, particularly in case of health visits which can be otherwise scheduled via telemedicine.
How Can Telemedicine Be Applied in Postoperative Care?
The dilemma of traveling and waiting, along with the time it takes to even get the appointment, hasn't improved in more than a decade. Ironically, the solution to these problems is as close as our smartphones.
Virtual care for postoperative care has shown effective clinical outcomes in the past. With enhanced patient satisfaction, improved access to care, and cost reductions for patients and health care providers. Post Op care via telemedicine is most promising in low-risk procedures like laparoscopic surgeries and low-risk urological procedures.
Telemedicine can be used in three core ways to provide postoperative care to surgical patients:
1.Scheduled follow-up visits.
2.Routine monitoring.
3.Management of postoperative complications.
My Live Doctors
Recently, the application of telehealth for postoperative care as a replacement of traditional in-facility visits has grown more popular. One study from 2017 concluded that remote monitoring via a smartphone was as effective as traditional means of care for post-surgical patients. The study suggested that virtual follow-ups are feasible and safe for the evaluation of early postoperative complications. Telemedicine-based follow-ups can become standard practice as patients report high levels of satisfaction with the remote at-home services. Using telehealth to monitor postoperative surgical patients also ensures continuity of care, providing patients with improved and increased monitoring of their conditions.
Telemedicine Improving Patient Satisfaction
Patient satisfaction is imperative in all types of health care, especially for surgical procedures and postoperative treatments. Telemedicine can significantly decrease readmission rates, improve patient experience, and ensure continuity of care regardless of barriers such as geographical location or busy schedule as the appointment can be taken from anywhere in the world. This satisfaction not only limits to non-complicated surgical procedures but also stretches across the fields of transplant, heart, and general surgery. Whether it is for monitoring wounds, providing education and support, tracking vital signs, or medication adherence, telemedicine proves to be the key to better care and high patient satisfaction.
MY LIVE DOCTORS is a telehealth platform for all your post op concerns, with specialists from around the world in the palm of your hand. MLD interface is simple and easy-to-use, accessible via website or mobile app compatible on iOS and android. With MLD, we offer remote consultations, in-home monitoring, remote specialist consultations and e-prescriptions. Schedule consultations with best doctors who can help you manage your or your loved one's postoperative care better.
My Live Doctors features include:
- Public Forum: If you are looking for advice regarding best practices such as wound care, nutrition, new research etc, MLD has a public forum for you. You can ask expert doctors your questions and get free advice.
- Create a Profile: You can now add your personal and medical history before booking your appointment, which will save time and give your online doctor all the necessary history needed to understand your history and give you the best post op care.
- E-Prescription: Your online doctor can also prescribe you medications, in the form of an e-prescription, such as basic pain medications or ointments for wound care.
- Monitoring: With MLD you can record your symptoms such as healing process, on your patient profile. Your online doctor will easily access your data for the next appointment.
- Get Notified: You will get timely reminders of booked appointments via push notification, text notification and email notifications.
Book an appointment MY LIVE DOCTORS to find out how telemedicine could be used in your postoperative care.