By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Telehealth Treatment, Not Telemedicine
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Telehealth Treatment, Not Telemedicine
eHealth

Telehealth Treatment, Not Telemedicine

rdowney14
rdowney14
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

I’ve been down this road before so I’m very familiar with the problems reporters face when writing articles about telemedicine. In this case, I wish it was just a problem with a headline writer, but unfortunately the misuse of the terms “teleheath” and “telemedicine” are throughout this particular story and is based on an interview with a wireless network provider.

I’ve been down this road before so I’m very familiar with the problems reporters face when writing articles about telemedicine. In this case, I wish it was just a problem with a headline writer, but unfortunately the misuse of the terms “teleheath” and “telemedicine” are throughout this particular story and is based on an interview with a wireless network provider.

What am I referring to?  The July 27th Healthcare IT News article titled “Top 5 health conditions for telemedicine treatment.”  There is a reason why it’s important to make a distinction here between telehealth and telemedicine when used in the specific sense.  Simply stated, they are two different things that use technology to benefit patients.  Four of the five health conditions in the article deal with telehealth solutions – not telemedicine.  The key differential is “monitoring.”  Telehealth systems are passive; they monitor a person’s vital signs.  Telemedicine systems, on the other hand, enable doctors to see patients at a remote location in a real-time, live encounter via videoconference.

So, the first of the conditions in the piece is “Active heart monitoring.”  As it says in the description, “they only send notifications with information that is outside an acceptable range.”

More Read

TeleICU Lowers Mortality Rates and Length of Stay
Twitter: A Social Soundtrack for Medical Meetings
Cataract Procedures: Which One Is Best For You?
Medicine Made for You: What Is Personalized Healthcare All About?
Promising New Patient Recovery Science

Condition #2 – blood pressure. “Continuous cycle reporting and electronic dispatch in urgent situations” but no live presence with a doctor.

Condition #3 – diabetes.  “Wireless glucose monitoring devices.”

Condition #5 (I’ll get to #4 shortly) – sleep apnea. They “report on sleep patterns, body position and breathing.”

The fourth condition, prescription compliance, is still about monitoring to eliminate “medication misses.” There is a reference to phone calls but the monitoring is meant to reduce phone calls between doctors and patients.  Since the writer provides no explanation how this monitoring occurs, we aren’t told why that mechanism would be classified as telemedicine.

I find myself arguing this point all too often.  Certainly, telehealth can be used in a broader sense to involve all healthcare technologies, but when this is done, telemedicine is always cited as a distinct branch of telehealth.  That isn’t the direction this article takes.  In fact, it’s just the opposite, categorizing telehealth monitoring technologies as telemedicine.  So, really, the correct title for the article is the “Top 5 health conditions for telehealth treatment.”

GlobalMed is in the telemedicine space.  We provide solutions that bring doctors to their patients who can be hundreds of miles away. Now if the reporter wants to write an article on the “Top 5 health conditions for telemedicine treatment,” I would suggest telestroke, telecardiology, teledermatology, teletrauma, and teleprimary care.

 

TAGGED:telehealthtelemedicine
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Power of Facebook and Mobile Technology to Help Drive Behavior Change: Webinar

December 1, 2011

FDA Proposed Guidance on Mobile Health Apps

July 19, 2011
Image
Mobile Health

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Mobile Maps Malaria in Kenya

November 19, 2012
mhealth
eHealthMobile Health

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Smartphone Microscope for Nano Particle Detection

October 14, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?