Our medical platforms are improving each day, alongside many healthcare centers. Many Americans of today don’t know the pains of what came before various technologies were integrated into healthcare. Some towns away from cities had people dying simply because they weren’t in reach of a hospital, clinic, or healthcare center. But now, we have arrived at a point in the US where almost everyone has access to healthcare. People from the countryside and rural areas now have nothing to fear. Here are some ways technology is helping us reach rural areas in the US.
Telehealth
One of the most effective ways healthcare centers contact people from far away places such as rural areas and the countryside.
Currently, the telehealth market is estimated to cost $38 billion, but it’s expected to grow by a staggering 37% between 2020 and 2025. This mighty growth is attributed to both the pandemic and the need for Healthcare services in many places in the US.
Telehealth is one of the technologies that is helping us reach people from far-flung places. About 57 million Americans live in the countryside. Although this number is dwindling as more cities are being built and established in the US, millions of Americans require general medical health. However, many of these Americans don’t have access to hospitals and advanced health centers. This isn’t because of their socioeconomic status, but because they live too far away from these centers. Telehealth makes it possible for us to reach these people.
Nowadays, people from rural areas have to either call or chat with various healthcare centers for their appointments. Different diagnoses and treatments can also be made through telehealth. This includes counseling and psychotherapy. Furthermore, all of this can happen in real-time. That’s right. Telehealth can help monitor the sick and the elderly and those who are generally vulnerable to disease. This is even more essential now because of the pandemic.
Americans from rural areas used to drive many miles before they can reach the nearest hospital. But hospitals are within their reach, through just a simple phone call or the internet.
Mobile Integrated Platforms
General health concerns happen in rural areas of the United States, and these health concerns may not prove to be as fatal as emergencies. Still, without appropriate treatment, they can easily turn deadly. However, many of these rural areas don’t have mobile integrated platforms that can help them out.
We are all in dire need of medical help sometimes, and even those who live in rural areas and the countryside. Allergies and asthma are both not considered to be emergencies, but they can be fatal without treatment. This is where MIH comes into play. The definition for community paramedicine is giving people the ability to dial emergency numbers such as 911 not just for emergencies but also for general health problems. People can generally dial another number for general health concerns, and an appropriate medical professional can visit the site. These professionals can help alleviate the symptoms or pain that the community member is currently feeling and even treat any minor problems.
Without this particular technology, many rural areas won’t have access to a more holistic form of healthcare. Additionally, this technology also eases the burden of the 911 system while also opening up some space for first responders. Interns in the medical field can be the ones to show up to these general health concerns, and they may give the necessary treatment these people need on-site.
GPS Navigation
Navigation used to be impossible for many ambulances, especially in the most rural states in the US. It used to be a nightmare as ambulances get stuck on bogs or encounter an almost impossible road to travel. But with today’s GPS navigation, many ambulances can easily find new roads that will lead them into the most optimized path.
GPS relies on satellites launched into space to help them navigate various areas in the world. Many ambulances have this technology integrated into the vehicle. Memorizing and know all the roads in your state takes years of experience, and only the best of the best can be ambulance drivers years ago. But now, because of this technology, training for these drivers has become minimal, and reaching the most far-flung places is now easier than ever.
As technology becomes more integrated with healthcare every day, we can reach people from all over the US. Today, only a few Americans are out of reach of healthcare. Today, almost every American has access to the healthcare services they need. It’s just up to us whether we want to improve these services or not.
