The physical therapy discourse community has evolved tremendously over the past few decades. Things used to be done very different in physical therapy practices. All appointments with clients used to be face to face, information was documented on paper and communication to patients/other offices happened through mail, phone or e-mail. Now, something called telehealth has come about. It is one of the things that have led to a huge breakthrough in physical therapy. Telehealth is the digital technology that helps to connect people in different settings. These people are connected by (but not limited to) video conferencing, remote patient technology and store and forward technologies. This is a great technological advance, because it cancels out most communication based difficulties. Telehealth is especially great in less populated areas, because there will be a smaller amount of outpatient offices, which might result in a patient having to drive a long way for a half hour to hour appointment. Now, physical therapists can offer their services simply through the luxury of a video conference call. A huge benefit of telehealth is that the patients are able to record their own blood pressure, oxygen levels, and other important vital signs which are then sent through the secure system to the physician in their offices. This is a huge breakthrough, because physicians can attain the necessary records of their patients without physically having to be with them and because the patients can keep an eye on their own blood pressure or oxygen levels whenever they feel is necessary without constantly having to wait on a physician for their assistance.
For more information about telehealth, watch the video below.
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