Telemedicine is a bigger concept than cybermedicine. It refers to the practice of medicine through different modes of communication such as telephone, electronic mail, facsimile among others. In simple terms, it can be described as the use of communication equipment by medical practitioners to reach patients at different locations. It can involve the use of infrastructures such as physical equipment that is used to capture the process, transmit and store, process and display data. Cybermedicine is limited to the practice of medicine online. The potential benefits of telemedicine are great. This has made the need for telemedicine licensing greater as legislators move to adopt the old laws to the new practice.
Normally a medical license is restricted to a certain geographical area, mostly where it has been applied. With telemedicine, legal issues have been raised as to whether a different license is required to allow medical practitioners to practice medicine in different regions. Medical laws are enacted to govern the field and a physician is only allowed to practice medicine within the region of the license, thus the patient should be in the same location.
However, the laws do not stop medical practitioners seeking and offering consultations to fellow practitioners in other regions. This has been done as long as the primary responsibility of the patient remains with the physician seeking the consultation.
A lot of changes have happened as a result of the introduction to telemedicine. The doctor-patient relationship has changed dramatically. The roles that the health practitioners play are also changing. They are therefore required to adapt to the new system and accommodate the changes it brings. This has made some doctors feel threatened as they have lost control.
The physicians were made to feel they had control over how they treated and diagnosed their patients. The old legislation and licensing powers gave them this assurance. They were making decisions on the best procedures and treatments that their patients needed without involving the patients as much. However, this has changed. Telemedicine has shifted this control and also increased the duty of care. The limits as to when the duty of care ends and starts are no longer there, making it limitless.
The financial costs of the treatments are not factored in, and the patients now have a say in the choices they want in their diagnosis and treatment. In such a scenario, physicians now feel out of tune with the uneasy relationship with clients.
This especially happens when patients reject the opinion of the physicians who are looking out for their best interests. The patients are now more informed and are taking responsibility in deciding their own treatment. Telemedicine fits in well with this arrangement where the role of the physician now evolves to mentoring, educating the patient, offering evidence to support the treatment option.
Physicians need to work with the legislators and medical organizations to ensure the new practice is streamlined with the safety of the patient and the practitioner in mind. The practitioners can be supported to work in their new roles, improve access to medical care based on proper guidelines and protocols. The climate can then be managed where the physicians and the authorizing bodies have a level of trust that allows them to embrace the new developments with no resistance.
Normally a medical license is restricted to a certain geographical area, mostly where it has been applied. With telemedicine, legal issues have been raised as to whether a different license is required to allow medical practitioners to practice medicine in different regions. Medical laws are enacted to govern the field and a physician is only allowed to practice medicine within the region of the license, thus the patient should be in the same location.
However, the laws do not stop medical practitioners seeking and offering consultations to fellow practitioners in other regions. This has been done as long as the primary responsibility of the patient remains with the physician seeking the consultation.
A lot of changes have happened as a result of the introduction to telemedicine. The doctor-patient relationship has changed dramatically. The roles that the health practitioners play are also changing. They are therefore required to adapt to the new system and accommodate the changes it brings. This has made some doctors feel threatened as they have lost control.
The physicians were made to feel they had control over how they treated and diagnosed their patients. The old legislation and licensing powers gave them this assurance. They were making decisions on the best procedures and treatments that their patients needed without involving the patients as much. However, this has changed. Telemedicine has shifted this control and also increased the duty of care. The limits as to when the duty of care ends and starts are no longer there, making it limitless.
The financial costs of the treatments are not factored in, and the patients now have a say in the choices they want in their diagnosis and treatment. In such a scenario, physicians now feel out of tune with the uneasy relationship with clients.
This especially happens when patients reject the opinion of the physicians who are looking out for their best interests. The patients are now more informed and are taking responsibility in deciding their own treatment. Telemedicine fits in well with this arrangement where the role of the physician now evolves to mentoring, educating the patient, offering evidence to support the treatment option.
Physicians need to work with the legislators and medical organizations to ensure the new practice is streamlined with the safety of the patient and the practitioner in mind. The practitioners can be supported to work in their new roles, improve access to medical care based on proper guidelines and protocols. The climate can then be managed where the physicians and the authorizing bodies have a level of trust that allows them to embrace the new developments with no resistance.
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