It’s like being able to teleport your doctor to you while you’re at home thanks to telemedicine. It has several other benefits in addition to saving doctors and patients money and time on trip. Of the hospitals in the United States, about 76% ↗ use telemedicine to provide patient care.

Telemedicine is completely unfamiliar to a lot of patients. However, the idea of e-prescriptions is not new; in fact, the practice dates back to the invention of telephones. Later, the internet’s development revolutionised digital health services, enabling those living in rural locations with little access to healthcare to get the care they needed by participating in virtual care visits. The Covid-19 pandemic also sparked the global telehealth industry’s quick growth, which in turn led to the development of online drug management.

Even still, a number of obstacles have prevented telehealth services from being widely adopted, despite the fact that they benefit both patients and clinicians. Thus, we will go over the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing medications online in this post.

Benefits of Online Medical Education

Electronic communications and software are used in telemedicine, also known as telehealth services, to provide therapeutic assistance through virtual consultations with physicians or electronic prescriptions. Such a modern strategy helps all parties, including the patient, physician, and pharmacy staff member who gives the prescription to the patient. Let’s examine each of its benefits ↗ in more detail.

• Simple to Use

For everyone in need, telemedicine provides high-quality healthcare more quickly and easily than traditional medicine. Patients avoid having to make advance appointments, wait in long lines, or travel to the hospital or doctor’s office. Furthermore, obtaining medications online is convenient, particularly for the elderly, those with disabilities, and those who live far from a regular pharmacy.

• Reduced Costs

The cost of telemedicine is lower than that of traditional healthcare. You are first exempt from paying for entry and transportation. Second, since providers may service a larger number of customers from a single central location, medications might be more reasonably priced online. Additionally, if the customer uses an online pharmacy, they can receive prescription medication in the mail. Certain mail-order pharmacies even provide additional benefits, such as only two copays for a three-month supply of specific drugs.

• Widespread Accessibility

The United States was the first to develop telemedicine in response to the lack of healthcare, especially in remote and difficult-to-reach locations. Today, it is utilised all over the world to allow senior patients with restricted mobility see a doctor in the comfort of their own home and to provide primary healthcare in third-world countries. Additionally, telemedicine enables conventional medical professionals to see more patients and handle their issues more quickly. As a result, it can eliminate usual barriers related to geography and speed up problem-solving for customers, improving the convenience of the entire healthcare delivery paradigm.

• Confidentiality

Online pharmacies allow customers to simply and discreetly order medications, often with free delivery. Telemedicine platforms give patients the option to communicate with a prescriber over the phone or online instead of in person, as some people choose to do so. Patients can therefore use virtual services with greater comfort and confidence knowing that their data is secure.

• Reduction in Prescription Errors

E-prescriptions are less confusing for the pharmacist to interpret and require less clarification from the pharmacist than handwritten prescriptions in terms of treatment and dosage. This could lessen prescription errors and drug mistakes. Additionally, it can guarantee that patients are provided with the most recent information regarding a specific medication. E-prescriptions can also reduce the possibility that a patient will receive the wrong dosage, which could be harmful or time-consuming. For example, one meta-study ↗ found that drug mistake may be reduced to a seventh of its initial levels by using an e-prescribing system.

• Better Mental Health Services

Telepsychiatry, the process of obtaining online prescriptions for mental health conditions, entails direct communication between a psychiatrist and patient. By meeting patients’ needs for easily available, reasonably priced healthcare, telepsychiatry contributes to better mental health access. The following are some examples of typical telepsychiatry prescriptions:

• Online medications for ADHD
• Depression medications purchased online
• Anxiety medicine purchased online
• Anxiety medications available over-the-counter

The drawbacks of internet medicine

There are still disadvantages to telehealth services, despite their expansion to solve numerous national healthcare challenges. The drawbacks of internet medicine ↗ are examined in the ensuing sections:

• Lack of a physical examination

A lot of websites that collect prescriptions just offer a quick consultation in which the patient answers a few questions and the doctor writes a prescription. While some internet pharmacies provide a comprehensive video conference consultation, this service excludes a physical examination. If a patient is not examined physically, there’s a chance that they won’t require the medication and that it will be provided too readily.

• Possibility of Fraud or Scam

The likelihood that a patient will receive a counterfeit, inferior, or contaminated prescription increases when certain vendors do not dispense prescriptions through authorised pharmacies. Safe dispensing procedures and the supervision of certified pharmacists are only guaranteed by pharmacies that are licensed, regulated, and subject to thorough inspections. Online pharmacies who withhold their contact details or, worse, post false information may be the ones to sell you phoney, inferior, or tainted goods, or they might decide not to send you anything at all. Furthermore, some foreign pharmacies are given special permission to import and export prescription drugs inside free trade zones but not inside national borders. It is typically forbidden for anyone to import FDA-approved medications ↗ from other nations for personal use. A case-by-case basis is allowed for the personal importation of prescription medications that the FDA has not cleared for use in the United States, according to MMA modifications.

• Possibility of Misdiagnosis

The most serious risk associated with telehealth is misdiagnosis since the information a doctor receives during virtual encounters could not be enough. For example, a dermatologist might overlook a skin lesion that is more dangerous than a rash. An additional malpractice risk that stems from the preceding one is when a doctor misdiagnoses and prescribes the incorrect course of therapy. Make appointments at reputable telemedicine platforms, where medical professionals are qualified to treat patients electronically, to steer clear of such circumstances.

• Problems with Internet service.

The necessity of internet access for telehealth cannot be avoided. The bulk of appointments will require some sort of visual examination by the doctor, even though some portions can be completed over the phone. An internet connection that is dependable is necessary for these services, but not everyone has access to it yet. If the patient or the doctor loses contact, the entire session may terminate or be postponed. Furthermore, these services require gadgets and an internet connection, which are prerequisites.

• Disparities Among Generations

Younger generations’ drive for telehealth and their values in healthcare are further factors fuelling its explosive expansion. The new generation speaks technology as second nature. Because of their busy schedules, they value the convenience that digital solutions bring. However, telehealth service use is less common among older generations. Because they don’t utilise technology as much and don’t know how to use telehealth services properly, they have greater difficulty with it. Even though these services would be beneficial to senior patients who might have trouble getting to the doctor, there is a clear barrier preventing them from using them.

• Lawsuit Restrictions

Regarding consistent telehealth policies, the federal government has not yet taken a final decision. It may be challenging to receive medical treatment online as a result of the various state laws that regulate how services are used and paid for. States should consider how these regulations may impact people’s access to internet healthcare as the field develops and the availability increases.

• Extra “Convenience” Charges

Patients are charged a “convenience fee” by certain telemedicine services, which can range from $35 to $125 per consultation. This charge is either in lieu of or in addition to any payer reimbursement. This indicates that patients are footing the bill for this additional convenience. The convenience fee might not be covered by your insurance.

• Dispensing Risky Prescriptions

Customers in the US are frequently sold potentially harmful prescription medications at reduced costs by rogue internet pharmacies. The website operators have received warning letters from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) telling them that they are violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of the United States and are involved in illegal behaviour, in an effort to stop any deceit.

Healthcare Practitioners Who Utilise Telemedicine Effectively

A number of different types of medical providers write prescriptions online. The six types of physicians who use telemedicine services the most these days are shown below.

• Internal medicine physicians and family physicians

Telemedicine can be used by family doctors and internal medicine specialists to identify, treat, and oversee a variety of medical disorders, including mental and physical ones. They can also monitor chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes, and hypertension, provide preventive treatment, and, if necessary, give medicine through virtual consultations.

• Radiologists

Radiologists can diagnose bone disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, appendicitis, trauma, and other conditions via telemedicine utilising a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner that offers exceptional clinical performance and uncompromised image quality.

• Pathologists

With the aid of laboratory testing, a telehealth pathologist helps your primary care physician diagnose any health issues you may be experiencing. In addition to studying bodily fluids and tissues, these physicians also monitor the well-being of patients with long-term illnesses.

• Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental, emotional, and behavioural illnesses via online consultations. Moreover, medicine, neuromodulation, and psychotherapy are used in the treatment provided by telehealth psychiatrists.

• Ob-gyn

The field of medicine known as obstetrics is dedicated to treating pregnant patients medically. Pregnant women can receive online consultations from Telehealth Ob-gyn by having their symptoms and reports checked.

• Gastroenterologists

Health practitioners with training in the diagnosis and treatment of issues with the liver and gastrointestinal (GI) tract are known as gastroenterologists. In addition to reviewing colonoscopies—a procedure that looks for abnormalities or alterations in the large intestine—and asking the patient about their physical symptoms, gastroenterologists also offer online consultations and prescriptions.

• Immunologists and allergists

If you suffer from hay fever, eczema, an autoimmune condition, or food or seasonal allergies, you can arrange a telemedicine consultation with an immunologist. Your prescription can be provided by an allergist based on your health and symptoms.

Last thought

The development of telemedicine, a new worldwide trend, has been aided by the contemporary era. There are still disadvantages to telehealth services, despite their expansion to solve numerous national health care challenges. Although the majority of healthcare professionals concur that telehealth services have more benefits than drawbacks, the drawbacks shouldn’t be disregarded. The primary objective of telemedicine promotion is to make healthcare more easily accessible and comfortable for patients.