BENEFITS OF TELEMEDICINE FOR PATIENTS, HEALTH SYSTEMS AND SOCIETY: THE USE OF TELEMEDICINE FOR CANCER PATIENTS FOLLOW-UP

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34635/rpc.805

Keywords:

Telemedicine; Neoplasms, Health Services Accessibility, Disease management, Follow-up studies

Abstract

Currently, health systems face the enormous challenge of ensuring equitable access to health care, improving the quality of care and lowering the cost of care. Strategies and solutions to achieve this “triple aim” and open the way for the improvement of the health system as a whole, involve adopting innovative strategies that combine disease management, the use of information systems and technologies to improve access care and health outcomes. Telemedicine, when fully integrated into an existing health system, is a powerful tool that can support many patients and help to optimize existing resources. As medical science evolves with new ways responding to patient’s needs, healthcare organizations must keep the patient at the center of their mission by implementing telemedicine solutions that improve their capabilities, extend timely, convenient, affordable and high quality of care. When implemented carefully, a flexible and scalable telemedicine system can enable quality across the entire spectrum of care, from initial screening and primary health care, to hospital specialties and home care. Telemedicine guided by convenience, ease and affordability offers to the health systems a solution for patients and providers to communicate more efficiently, opening new perspectives in cancer patient follow-up of as well other chronic diseases.

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Published

2020-07-02

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