Delivering Personalized Care at a Distance: How Telemedicine Can Foster Getting to Know the Patient as a Person

Abstract

The promise of precision medicine is based on the use of new technologies to better characterize patients by defining individuals in the areas of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and other aspects of biologic variability. Wise application of modern technology can similarly transform health visits with patients, allowing for better characterization of the patient’s individual life circumstances than possible in a traditional office visit. The use of, and experience with, telemedicine have increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and clinicians report high satisfaction with telemedicine, and the quality of communication and patient-centeredness experienced in this setting are both rated highly. In this article, we explore the benefits offered by telemedicine in facilitating personalized care with particular focus on telemedicine delivered by video platforms. We propose strategies and skills specific to the effective implementation of personalized telemedicine, drawing on literature in patient-centered communication and home visits. While traditional in-person office visits continue to offer important opportunities such as thorough physical examination and the potential for enhanced non-verbal communication, telemedicine offers many important advantages that can facilitate the process of getting to know the patient as a person.

The Benefits, Challenges and Impacts of Telehealth Student Clinical Placements for Accredited Health Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Telehealth offered the opportunity for efficient and affordable “virtual” home visits. This is similar to the findings of Record et al telehealth also required the client to be a more active participant in their own healthcare ( 43 ). “Hands-on” interventions could not be undertaken via telehealth, rather the students were required to explicitly describe the intervention and do it “with” the client.…”

Changes in the Comprehensiveness of Rural Medical Care for Older Japanese Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The appropriate utilization of medical care can be encouraged during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, reducing such care may worsen the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals, which can diminish patients' quality of life [48,49]. To sustain this relationship, hybrid consultation systems should be applied, using ICT to ensure the sustainability of patient-centered care and continuity of care by maintaining face to face interaction with the reduced risk of infection [50].…”

The Effect of Submaximal Exercise on Jugular Venous Pulse Assessed by a Wearable Cervical Plethysmography System

“…Regarding the technological advancement, the current wearables include energy harvesting solutions to increase their operating time, and machine learning models that can automatically detect and predict diseases, from cardiovascular to neurodegenerative [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. A further practical aspect can result from the use of wearables for monitoring exercise programs and personalized care at distance, contributing to the spreading of telemedicine [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ].…”