The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Healthcare Outcome: A Review
Chukwuka Elendu *
Federal Medical Center, Owerri, Nigeria.
Emmanuel O. Egbunu
Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Nigeria.
Kehinde A. Opashola
Lakeshore Cancer Center, Lagos, Nigeria.
Rechner N. Afuh
The Manor Hospital Oxford, United Kingdom.
Samuel A. Adebambo
University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Telemedicine is an emerging healthcare delivery model that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) to give medical services remotely. This model is gaining increasing attention due to its potential to improve healthcare outcomes, particularly in resource-limited settings. Telemedicine has been shown to improve patient access to medical care, reduce healthcare costs, and increase patient satisfaction. Telemedicine also offers medical education and training opportunities, remote consultations and diagnoses, and remote patient health status monitoring. This paper provides an overview of the potential benefits of telemedicine. It highlights some critical challenges to its widespread adoption, including regulatory and policy issues, technical and infrastructure constraints, and data privacy and security issues. The paper concludes by discussing future directions for telemedicine and the need for continued research and innovation to ensure its success as a sustainable healthcare delivery model.
Keywords: Telemedicine, patient satisfaction, accessibility, quality of care