Telemedicine: The Future of Rural Health and Equity

  By Jenny Han

---

Hospitals are a crucial part of society. This is especially the case for rural areas. However, there are currently 1,844 rural hospitals in the United States, with 120 of them closing. Now, there is a need for healthcare in these rural areas. The problem stems from two factors.
Either:

• Patients are forced to travel to urban hospitals for medical care. OR,
• There are little to no resources or places that are in reach for rural residents.
  
  

As of March 2022, 38% of patients have access to telemedicine, or “telehealth” or “virtual care.” While this was originally prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still a need for this type of care in the rural areas, despite the pandemic slowly wearing down.

So, what is telemedicine, and how can it shape the future of rural health and equity?

Types Of Telemedicine

One of the positives of telemedicine is that it’s customizable. In other words, there is no one form of telemedicine, because all patients are different.

With that said, there are currently four types of telemedicine. Here are those four types in detail:

• Live Video
  

Live-video telemedicine is synchronous, with its two-way interactive feature. A patient can communicate with, say, a healthcare provider, a caregiver, a physician, etc. using audiovisual telecommunication (which involves video and display devices). This form of telemedicine can be used for consultations, diagnoses, and treatments.

• Remote Patient Monitoring
  

Healthcare providers can monitor their patients with telemedicine. With this technology, a provider can track a patient’s healthcare data after a patient is discharged to home or a care facility. This helps reduce hospital readmission rates significantly.

• Mobile Health
  

Another form is mobile health, or what’s referred to as “mHealth.” This technology involves providing resources (e.g., patient education, public health programs, etc.) to people via mobile communication devices. Patients can even sign up for real-time alerts on disease outbreaks, helpful tips, etc.

Benefits
Next, let’s dive into the benefits of telemedicine, in regards to rural areas:

• Timeliness
  

From making appointments to being seen for medical emergencies, timeliness is key. With telemedicine, patients can receive certain types of care whenever they need it, rather than having the patient travel to a facility, or wait to be seen.

• Patient Comfort
  

Patients can be comfortable with meeting with healthcare providers whether they’re at home, at work, or wherever. Plus, this reduces the discomfort that comes from having to step into a physical hospital.

• Transportation
  

Again, transportation will not be an issue for patients who aren’t able to travel to an urban area for medical help. Instead, patients can be seen at home and speak to a doctor or healthcare provider from their computer, phone, or other mobile device.

Why Telemedicine?
Telemedicine is essential to rural places, because of the severity the need is in such areas. Here are some common reasons why telemedicine is in high demand in rural areas:

• Unnecessary Barriers

Barriers to healthcare access can come in the form of:

• • Transportation difficulties
  • Long distances (from rural to urban, for example)
  • Social stigma
  • Quality of health insurance coverage
  • Poor health literacy
  • Workforce shortages, etc.
    
• Provider Shortages

The problem is, as mentioned earlier, there aren’t enough healthcare providers or hospitals to care for the rural communities. With not enough people working in the medical field, rural areas are at risk of going without much-needed healthcare needs.

• Low Incomes

As of 2020, the average rural per capita income in the U.S. is $45, 917– that’s a significant difference from the average per capita income of $59,510 for all Americans. As a result, rural residents might not want to visit the doctor, due to low income. Telemedicine offers a cheaper way for rural patients to get the help that they need from healthcare providers.

• Weak Digital Infrastructure

Finally, according to the Pew Research Center, 72% of rural residents in the U.S. claim to have Internet access at home. But what about the rest of the rural population? Therefore, telemedicine hopes to bridge the gap between those who have Internet, and those who don’t. In this way, everyone can get the medical help that they need, regardless of Internet accessibility.

Conclusion
Ultimately, telemedicine can help rural areas in more ways than one. With technology continuing to advance every day, and with a severe need for more convenient medical care, telemedical can be the solution for rural America.

About the author: Jenny Han is a writer at Law Essay and Essay Help. She is also a contributing writer for Assignment Help. As a content writer, Jenny writes articles about digital marketing strategies and entrepreneurship.