Before the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was often seen as a supplementary service rather than the main approach to healthcare. Most people preferred in-person exams and consultations, and the adoption of telehealth remained limited. However, the pandemic accelerated its use, highlighting telehealth's vital role in providing accessible and flexible healthcare, even in the face of global challenges. Today, telehealth is reshaping how we think about healthcare, expanding access to quality care, improving efficiency, and meeting the needs of diverse patient populations.

In this article, we will explore the concept of telehealth, including its definition, and key benefits, specialized applications, current challenges, while looking ahead at potential solutions and future advancements.

According to Mayo Clinic, telehealth is “the use of digital information and communication technologies to access health care services remotely and manage your health care”. It enables real-time, store-and-forward, and hybrid healthcare encounters, making the most common uses of telehealth — such as virtual visits and consults, store-and-forward of medical patient information, remote monitoring, and diagnostics — possible through video conferencing as well as other professional medical technologies. It involves a distant site, where the specialist is, and the originating site, where the patient is.

Whether a clinician decides to use telehealth largely depends on the specialty of the clinician, with telehealth being most commonly used in specialties like radiology, psychiatry, cardiology, emergency and critical care, and pathology.

Teleradiology is the transmission of a patient’s radiological images — such as CT scans and X-rays — to a distance-site radiologist who will interpret the images and report back to the originating site. Accidents requiring radiology often occur in rural and frontier areas, which is unfortunate that radiologists are also often unavailable in hospital emergency rooms of these areas. This is why teleradiology is extremely important for rural healthcare, providing healthcare where it is needed.

Telecardiology

Telecardiology consists of virtual visits and consultations by remote cardiovascular specialists at distant sites. Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide, and specialists are often lacking in originating sites, particularly in stroke treatment. Telestroke is when highly specialized stroke care is delivered by first responders with the guidance of remote stroke experts.

Telepsychiatry and Telemental Health

Telepsychiatry, or telemental health, is providing mental health services through video conferencing. According to the American Psychiatric Association, it encompasses a range of healthcare services, consisting of psychiatric evaluations, therapy (individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy), patient education, and medication management. Patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety can benefit greatly from having access to telepsychiatry, as there is still stigma surrounding mental illnesses.

Teledermatology

Teledermatology, or telemental health, is providing mental health services through video conferencing. When a dermatologist remotely diagnoses, monitors, and assesses a patient’s skin conditions from a distant site. Teledermatology can be classified into two types: real-time — virtual visits through video conferencing — and store-and-forward — digital exchange of medical information of the patient to the dermatologist.

Technological Barriers

As telehealth requires a certain amount of technological knowledge, the poor, the elderly, or patients who are less educated can find it difficult to navigate telehealth services either due to the lack of technological devices and infrastructure or the lack of ability to use technologies. On the provider’s end, telehealth enables specialists at the distant site to evaluate patients without being physically present, but the originating site must still be equipped with the necessary medical hardware, such as MRI or CT scanners, to perform examinations.

Regulations

Telehealth faces complex regulatory challenges, especially with multi-regional systems. Licensing and practice regulations, such as in-person consultation requirements from medical boards and limitations in the Social Security Act, pose significant barriers. Compliance with entities like the American Medical Association and FDA further complicates multi-regional healthcare delivery.

Security Attacks

There are two most common attacks that steal private patient data and compromise the quality of telehealth. One of the most common security attacks is phishing attacks, which bait victims into giving up their personal data and login information unknowingly. Another type is called ransomware attacks, in which an attacker unleashes malware and demands a ransom be paid for the removal of the malware.

Quality of Care Limitations

Since telehealth is unable to offer in-person care, there are things that telehealth is unable to handle, such as giving birth or live surgery where the specialist is the surgeon. Aside from the abovementioned situations, a study from Michigan State University suggests that patients generally trust their in-person healthcare provider more than they do telehealth practitioners.

Telehealth in the future will likely address regulatory challenges through increased global standardization and streamlined cross-border licensing agreements. Developing international telehealth frameworks could help unify licensing and practice regulations, making it easier for healthcare providers to deliver services across regions. Advances in secure digital infrastructure will also support data privacy and compliance with diverse regulatory requirements, ensuring safe, patient-centered care regardless of location. Additionally, AI-driven tools may assist in adapting telehealth practices to local regulations, allowing more seamless multi-regional healthcare delivery.

Telehealth has transformative potential in healthcare, increasing access, improving patient outcomes, and supporting diverse medical specialties. While challenges like technology limitations, regulatory hurdles, and quality concerns remain, advancements in connectivity, cybersecurity, and diagnostic tools offer promising solutions. As telehealth continues to evolve, it not only enables better healthcare accessibility but also lays the foundation for a more resilient, adaptable healthcare system. By embracing telehealth, healthcare providers and policymakers can pave the way for more equitable and efficient patient care.

Telehealth is more than a temporary solution — it’s an essential part of future healthcare. Now is the time to invest in and adopt telehealth technologies to ensure that quality care remains accessible to all, regardless of time, place, or circumstance.

• Bence, Sarah. “Telehealth: Definition, Pros, and Cons”. Very Well Health.
• Bestsennyy et al. Telehealth: A quarter-trillion-dollar post-COVID-19 reality? McKinsey. 2021.
• Maloney et al. Technological access barriers, telehealth use and health care visits in the early pandemic period. Health Policy and Technology, Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2022.
• Managing chronic conditions through telehealth Telehealth.HHS.gov.
• Mayo Clinic. “Telehealth: Technology meets health care.”
• Pande RL et al. Leveraging remote behavioral health interventions to improve medical outcomes and reduce costs. Am J Manag Care. 21(2):e141-e151
• Pravecek et al. Telehealth and Teleradiology: What You Need to Know. ScienceDirect.
• Robeznieks, Andis. “Which medical specialties use telemedicine the most?.” American Medical Association.
• Takahashi et al. An Overview of Telehealth in the Management of Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. American Heart Association.
• The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment. National Academy of Sciences.
• Yamano et al. Telecardiology in Rural Practice: Global Trends. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022.