Although the Coronavirus takes all the headlines and most of the resources of the health system, people continue to get sick from other thingss. For prevention, access to hospitals is restricted. However, there are other ways that people can get medical care.
Telemedicine was born as a response to the need for complex medical care for populations living in remote areas. For economic reasons it is impossible to build this type of facility in areas with low population density.
Emergencies and free software. Characteristics of telemedicine programs
Understanding telemedicine as providing medical treatment at a distance, telemedicine programs are all those that facilitate remote care.
This includes:
- Video consultations:
- Remote evaluation of studies.
- Monitoring of medical device via Internet.
Using application software in telemedicine doctors and assistants have the possibility of conducting live videoconferences with patients, answering their questions and concerns, and diagnosing their ailments. The professionals they can remain virtually present at the patient's bedside or in the ambulance during an emergency. In addition, Laboratories will have the option of conducting clinical studies in situations where delays are not allowed.
In general, this type of program should incorporate the following functions:
- Online appointment management calendar.
- Group video calling capability.
- 24/7 technical support.
- Intuitive user interface that provides relevant information at a glance.
- High resolution video support (necessary for diagnostic imaging)
- Transmission of documents in a secure way and guaranteeing the confidentiality of the patient.
- Generation and management of detailed reports including the ability to analyze situations to make informed decisions.
Some open source options
Intellehealth
This program help health workers of local communities located in rural areas to provide primary treatment to patients in their communities. It is composed of a mobile application for healthcare workers along with a supporting cloud-based electronic health records system (OpenMRS). Utilization can be done both with low bandwidth connection and without connection.
Key features
- It includes an exṕert system to help the healthcare worker make decisions.
- It enables the transmission of medical data to remote physicians via audio and video consultations, even if a low-bandwidth connection is available.
- Inexpensive devices can be used for point-of-care diagnostic testing.
- Manage the delivery of prescriptions and medications.
- Includes resources to educate, counsel, and guide patients. L
- Organize the compilation and presentation of data for decision-making on the best treatments.
GoTelecare
Here we have un video consultation system directly between the doctor and the patients. Communications comply with privacy standards. In addition, you can manage the billing and collection of care.
The service is provided at no additional charge to patients.
Key features
- Complete point-to-point communication solution.
- Free to deploy and implement with no hidden costs.
- Easy to customize.
- Runs on laptops, desktops, and smartphones.
- It includes modules for scheduling appointments, billing for medical services and collections.
AMCHealth
It is about de a project with almost two decades of experience in clinical treatments. Let patient data is analyzed in real time simultaneously by geographically separated specialists.
Key features
- It allows to involve, educate and help patients experiencing chronic conditions, giving them access to treatments from the comfort of their home.
- Facilitates remote patient monitoring to provide the right treatment at the right time.
- Patients can be followed up to monitor compliance with treatment and clarify the data provided.
- Ability to provide education on specific diseases.
- It is possible to identify the barriers that can affect the use and quality of the service.
- Includes intervention techniques to proactively address negative behaviors and attitudes.