Is Telemedicine The Future Of Health Care? | With Dr Ryan Louie

By Marco Ciappelli

Is Telemedicine the future of health care? A psychological and sociological point of view.

Guest: Ryan K. Louie, M.D., Ph.D.
Board-Certified Psychiatrist focusing on Psybersecurity and Entrepreneur Mental Health

Host: Marco Ciappelli

That was a lot of fun, I can’t wait to go see the doctor again! Said nobody ever.

I can’t remember last time I went to a doctor’s office and I enjoyed the time spent there; from the sheer thought of it, the drive, the wait, the environment, and the sense of anxiety I always get on my way there — even if it is ‘just’ a routine follow up.

What if there was a way for people that do need to — or want to — see a doctor to be able to do so without ever leaving their homes? Maybe even from a bench in the park, if there are no doctors available close by, if they cannot move, if they need constant mental supportl or continuous monitoring for conditions that do not require hospitalization?

There is a way. It has been possible for a long time. Years before NASA landed humankind on the moon, they (NASA) have been experimenting with such technology. And now, thanks to the advancement and democratization of it, these ways are more common, accessible, economical — and in most cases — even more efficient than the in-person visit. But let’s see why.

In this part 1 of our two-part podcast, we talk about telemedicine from a psychological, and societal perspective, starting right from the beginning: the definition of the term.

To discuss this topic, my guest is Dr. Ryan K. Louie which you should have already meet on ITSPmagazine by now — if not look in our archive and listen to other podcasts we’ve had with him.

For Dr. Ryan, the appropriate general definition of telemedicine is “any type of technology that can connect patients with the care that they need for their health.” I have thought about this for a whole five minutes, and I couldn’t come up with something simpler and yet effective than this.

Many experts consider the first advanced form of telemedicine to happen in the 1960s when mankind started to explore space physically, NASA on this side and the Russian Space Agency on the other (that was the late 1950s, to be exact). Other early applications of telemedicine have been focused on rural and remote areas, as well as underdeveloped countries where certain kinds of healthcare structures do not even exist. In these cases —and in many others — that was a necessity and not a choice. Nowadays, the latter is starting to be more often where we can measure by efficiency, economy, and even psychological benefit for the administration of care to patients.

Can a simple phone call with your doctor be considered telemedicine?

What were the most relevant topics discussed during the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) conference that took place in New Orleans a few months ago?

How are artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and speed/bandwidth of data transmission allowing to happen today and tomorrow what was not possible just a few years ago?

How are these advanced technologies going to improve preventive medicine efficiencies, care techniques, and a reduction in diagnostic errors?

In this podcast Ryan tells me what he learned at the ATA conference — what is his opinion on the matter and what he thinks the near future could look like; in particular, covering the psychological benefits that individual patients and our society can achieve from this way to practice medicine.

Read the full article and more The Cybers Society Articles and Podcast on ITSPmagazine.

https://www.itspmagazine.com/itsp-chronicles/is-telemedicine-the-future-of-health-care-a-psychological-and-sociological-point-of-view-with-dr-ryan-louie