Telemedicine and telehealth are among the main tools for health care in the world.

These tools aim to assist patients and health professionals, who are connected from anywhere through internet, regardless of physical distance.

Some of the benefits are cost reduction, time savings, convenience and expansion of the service network.

But do you know the difference between Telemedicine and Telehealth? Don’t worry, we will explain everything.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth is the use of information systems, communication and technologies in general in the healthcare field, providing specializations, interactions and direct services, aimed at professionals.

It is a broader concept, which involves:

  • Distance learning courses and classes related to healthcare
  • Health consulting
  • Storage and sharing of medical information
  • Knowledge exchange between health professionals
  • Telemedicine

And what does Telemedicine mean?

As you can see, telemedicine is a category that is within the concept of telehealth. It is easier to understand, because it is limited only to the use of telecommunications technology that covers distance medical care.

This includes:

  • Virtual care, in which the patient connects with the doctor without having to leave their home
  • Storage, access and interpretation of medical exams
  • Online chat between experts to ask questions and discuss more complex cases
  • Remote patient monitoring

What is the difference between Telemedicine and Telehealth?

Telehealth had its first records around the 20th century, when radio was the tool used to provide information and medical services to Antarctica.

Telemedicine appeared only in 1970, in the United States, with the purpose of bringing medical care to rural areas.

Thus, in summary, Telemedicine and Telehealth are different initiatives with the same purpose: to increase the quality and expand the access of health services.

However, while telemedicine is limited to clinical patient care, telehealth is a broader concept because it involves educational, administrative and other non-clinical health activities.

 

EMERGE is passionate about facilitating the productiveness and efficiency of service in the healthcare industry. We aim to bring satisfaction to every clients, whether it is making hospitals and clinics more prepared for accepting patients and cutting their operational costs, or saving patients’ time by avoiding frustrating waiting lines.