Telehealth is best defined as what?

• A. In-person medical consultations
• B. Delivery of healthcare services through telecommunication
• C. Home visits by nurses
• D. Remote monitoring only

Answer: (B)

Telehealth centers on using technology to connect patients with clinicians at a distance, delivering care through telecommunication. This includes real-time video visits, secure messaging, phone consultations, and remote monitoring, as well as education and support provided remotely. It’s broader than just monitoring data, encompassing multiple ways to assess, diagnose, treat, and educate patients without requiring an in-person encounter. For example, a video visit with a clinician, remote vital signs monitoring, and patient education via secure messaging all fit telehealth. In-person consultations require physical presence and are not telehealth, and home visits describe on-site care away from the patient’s location, which isn’t telecommunication-based. Remote monitoring alone is too narrow to fully define telehealth, since the term covers a wider set of remote healthcare interactions.