Telemedicine Adoption and The Implications On Patient Care in Rural and Underserved Areas

Abstract

Telemedicine has come out as a revolution in the provision of healthcare especially in rural and underserved areas where there is still limited access to medical services because of geographical, socioeconomic, and infrastructural factors. This paper discusses telemedicine adoption and how it has affected patient care outcomes, accessibility of health care, and efficiency of health service delivery. The results obtained in terms of secondary data and the existing literature demonstrate that telemedicine is beneficial in terms of access to healthcare, a decrease in the burden of travel, the opportunity to diagnose a disease early, and the ability to monitor a patient. Nevertheless, telemedicine still experiences a number of challenges that include digital illiteracy, poor internet access, technological resistance, and data privacy issues. It is highlighted in the study that it is necessary to invest in digital infrastructure, training and supportive policy frameworks to guarantee the integration of telemedicine in healthcare systems in a sustainable manner. The findings reveal that telemedicine has the potential to curb health disparities and help in the equitable distribution of healthcare when well adopted.