October 13, 2022
News
For the elderly or people with reduced mobility, a visit to the doctor can be an unpleasant experience. Travelling to a medical centre often involves either costs or the need for an accompanying person. Telemedicine is a promising solution as it can provide remote access to health services for people from different parts of the country.
Caritas Czech Republic supports the adoption of telemedicine in the health care system
Although telemedicine has enormous potential, its use was modest until the pandemic, but the health crisis and the pandemic context have brought it out of the shadows and into the forefront.
Caritas Czech Republic, in partnership with Homecare Association, launched a pilot project to introduce telemedicine services (teleconsultation and telemonitoring) in 8 medical-social centres across Moldova. Within the project, 24 medical and social workers will assist or provide consultations and care services for the elderly or people who require permanent care.
Natalia Surchicean is a nurse at the medical-social care centre in Carbuna, Moldova, and has been involved in this initiative for about a year. She admits that at first it was difficult to understand how a patient could be consulted remotely, but after attending the training sessions all the doubts have disappeared: "Now I find telemedicine amazing. With a computer or a mobile phone connected to the internet, any patient can be consulted by a doctor, no matter how far away they are," says Natalia.
Benefits of telemedicine in health and social care services
Telemedicine cannot replace a clinical medical examination, but it can successfully substitute a primary care consultation or a health monitoring consultation for the elderly or people who require permanent care.
The benefits of telemedicine in health and social care services are numerous:
- It relieves the burden on the primary care system
- It gives patients access to local or international specialists
- It reduces patients' travel costs and waiting times for face-to-face appointments
- It relieves people with reduced mobility from a demanding journey
In addition, the interaction between doctor and patient is very similar to the audio or video interactions that people have daily with their peers on their phone or computer: "We are helping people in need of medical care. We set the time for the consultation, we travel to the person's home and help them to connect to the consultation online. This way, the person gets their consultation without leaving their home,” Natalia told us.
Telemedicine – a safe and modern form of care
Varvara Cecoi from Carbuna in Moldova is a person who often found it difficult to visit a polyclinic for a consultation.
"My legs have not listened to me for years. For me, getting to the polyclinic was a real burden. After my first consultation at home, done from my own couch, I can honestly say I could not believe how simple, convenient and quick a video- consultation could be.”
The nurses are also thrilled about how many barriers telemedicine is overcoming: "Patients often gave up going for a consultation, either because they didn't have enough money to travel or no one to accompany them. Now, with the help of a mobile device, they can even get consultations and advice from doctors abroad, for example consultations from psychologists from Romania. Distance is no longer an obstacle," say the nurses from the „Sfânta Iuliana” social centre from Dondușeni.
The state has no current legal framework for telemedicine
In Moldova, the legal framework regulating telemedicine and e-health is disjointed. There are scattered provisions on telemedicine in 41 legal acts, but they are outdated and need to be updated, brought in line with European standards and adjusted to existing technologies.
To this end, with the support of key authorities, Caritas Czech Republic and Homecare Association aim to create an advisory board that will define the concept of telemedicine services in home care and will establish a set of quality standards in this direction, thus laying the basis for the creation of a single and well-defined regulatory framework.
