The coastal resort of Cancun is an ideal destination for visitors looking to get a taste of the tropics. However, it is not immune to natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes. In September 2018, one of those storms hit the city and caused widespread damage. A particularly violent tropical depression brought winds up to 106 kilometers per hour. The National Emergency Commission reported that this storm damaged over 14,000 homes and injured more than 500 people.
In response to the damage from the storm, high-tech services were brought in from all over Mexico to help with medical care in Cancun. yucul Medical was called in by the government to perform telemedicine services at a hospital in Playa del Carmen — one of the most popular resorts on the coast — during emergencies like these.
Telemedicine in Action: The Role of Telemedicine in Emergency Care
Telemedicine is a type of videoconferencing that uses two-way video, data, and audio to allow people in different locations to communicate. In this case, high-tech services were brought in by the government to help with medical care in Cancun during emergencies like these. At yucul Medical, they had many volunteers working remotely from their respective homes all over Mexico to provide remote care for patients who needed medical assistance but could not get it locally. A number of yucul Medical volunteers also came down to the hospital during the time they were needed to help with emergency care.
Of course, telemedicine isn’t always used during emergencies. But when it’s necessary and feasible, this technology can be an incredible asset for medical professionals who want to provide care remotely.
What Is Telemedicine?
It is a process where people from one location can consult with a doctor or other medical professional at another location. This is done through regular phone calls, emails, texts, or other electronic communication methods.
The key benefit of this type of care is it significantly reduces the amount of time patients need to spend in the hospital waiting for treatment. This also decreases the amount of travel time and costs associated with visiting a doctor in person.
How Does Telemedicining Work?
Every country has different levels of emergency care, but the one thing that’s universal is the lack of access during an emergency. This is where telemedicine comes in. With telemedicine, treatment can be received over the phone from a doctor or medical professional who is not in the same area as you. In this way, people are able to receive care without having to physically travel to an area with these services.
Another benefit of telemedicine is that it provides fast and effective diagnosis for patients across national borders. If a person has a respiratory condition, for example, they can have their symptoms diagnosed remotely by a specialist at their convenience. This allows them to quickly receive help and be seen by physicians more quickly than if they were in-person at the hospital.
The technology behind telemedicine may still be new to some people, but it’s already become a great life saver in emergencies like those in Cancun — and will likely continue to do so as more companies bring these services online.
Benefits of Telemedicine for Health Care
One of the key benefits of telemedicine is that it allows health care professionals to provide care remotely. Telemedicine also allows for more efficient use of resources.
In this case, it allowed doctors to use some high-tech devices without having to travel all the way across Mexico — saving time and money in the process. Additionally, it offered a level of security and privacy when compared with traditional office visits. Finally, telemedicine can be used to assess patients remotely before they need an in-person visit. It helps fill gaps in medical coverage where patients can’t always afford doctors’ visits or where there are insufficient resources to meet demand.
Steps to Implement Telemedicine in Healthcare Delivery
Step one is to set up your location. Because of the remote areas where telemedicine services are often used, it’s best to establish a local presence or have the ability to receive calls and messages through an operator or through satellite technology.
Once you’ve determined the best place for your service, you should design a business model based on the actual demand from your target audience. You might even want to think about creating multiple models; for example, one model could be for people who live in Cancun and another for those who live outside of Cancun.
Next, you need to start getting your message out there! This includes advertising and marketing efforts on social media sites that are relevant for the target audience. After you put your marketing plan into effect, you can begin to design a call-center with human operators that will interface with both current clients and potential new customers. Finally, identify the services offered by yucul Medical so you can be prepared before any unexpected emergencies arise in Cancun.
Conclusion
Telemedicine is already being used to improve the quality of care for patients all over the world, and it’s only going to become more integral to health care in the future.
In the future, telemedicine will become a topic of discussion in every health care meeting. And with the innovative technology and tools available in this field, telemedicine will be able to provide care with a greater level of efficiency and accuracy than ever before.