Telehealth refers to the delivery and facilitation of healthcare services such as health information services, medical care, patient education, and self-care using telecommunications and digital communication technologies (Neville, 2018). Telehealth represents a broader range of digital healthcare services and activities. On the other hand, telemedicine refers to the remote diagnoses and treatment of patients using telecommunications technology. Telemedicine, therefore, encompasses the use of telecommunication systems to provide healthcare services to patients living in remote areas or those geographically separated from their physicians by distance (Rheuban, Shanahan, & Willson, 2014). Therefore, while telemedicine refers directly to the practice of medicine via remote means, telehealth is a term that covers all the components and activities that are facilitated through telecommunications technology.
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The benefits of telehealth include convenience, cost-efficacy, less time in waiting rooms, and overall convenience. It is important to acknowledge that the use of emerging technologies in healthcare is likely to result in better healthcare provision and increased access to medical services among the population. The limitations of telehealth include technological hitches, and poor interoperability, which could hinder the provision of planned care.
The benefits of telemedicine include but are not limited to cost efficiency, enhanced self-care, increased patient satisfaction, and improved patient engagement. Telemedicine ensures that populations living in remote areas have access to quality and timely healthcare services through telemedicine mediums like videoconferencing, and mobile phones among others (Rheuban et al., 2014). However, telemedicine has limitations, which range from inadequate physician assessment, technological glitches especially related to signals in remote areas as well as inadequate frameworks to support the adoption of the technologies in the provision of healthcare services. Both telemedicine and telehealth have had a significant impact on the healthcare sector by boosting access to healthcare services and overall improvement of patient outcomes.