Decoding virtual health terminology
Become fluent in the language of medicine practised via digital means
In Canada, most virtual health efforts benefitting employees are still in the early phases of implementation among corporate settings. In comparison, a majority of large American companies have standardized the practice and are seeing benefits to their employees’ well being and the bottom line.
Telemedicine and virtual care are some of the terms used to describe real-time or monitored medical interaction and communication between a doctor and their patient. Other commonly used terms are below.
Asynchronous: does not require real-time interaction between patients and providers.
Synchronous: requires real-time interaction using audio-visual communications and/or remote monitoring technology.
eVisit: asynchronous clinical exchanges completed via secure messaging in which patients submit information, questions and images for physician review and response.
Video visit: a doctor-to-patient or doctor-to-doctor consultation over a secure audiovisual telecommunications platform viewed on a smartphone, portable device or computer.
Telehealth (frequently used term in the U.S.) interchangeable with telemedicine: distinct domains of applications including clinical and non-clinical services like live video visit (synchronous); store-and-forward (asynchronous) transmission of recorded health history through electronic communication; remote patient monitoring to collect personal health and medical data; mobile health, where public health and education is supported by cell phones or tablets with targeted health promotion text messages or wide-scale alerts about disease outbreaks.
Telemedicine: remote clinical services such as diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of tele-communications technology that can collect data (such as sensors, and vital-sign or health-status monitoring) and those that enable communication (videoconferencing, text-messaging, mobile apps, and voice calls).
Mobile health: the use of wireless tools to deliver and access virtual care and health information, often delivered using mobile devices and SMS technology.
If you are interested in learning more about the impact of virtual health on employment wellness, the Medcan Perspective Paper, The House Call Makes Its Virtual Comeback, reviews telemedicine and virtual health from its origins through to the tools being used today.
