Role of Telemedicine and Telehealth in Public Healthcare Sector: A Narrative Review

Clinicians, researchers in health services, and other experts have been investigating how to improve healthcare using advanced computer and telecommunication technology for more than 30 years. Adequate medical facilities are still lacking in many places of the world. In these kinds of situations, technology can be quite helpful in expanding healthcare access to rural locations and offering better care at a lower cost. The delivery of healthcare is changing dramatically because of telemedicine and telehealth, particularly in terms of improving access to care. This paper aims to provide an update on the history, background, applications, benefits, barriers, and challenges of these recent technologies. This review article also covers the healthcare conditions of rural as well as urban communities. Furthermore, the implications of technologies used and improvement in the health status of an individual are also discussed. During the COVID-19 epidemic, telehealth quickly gained popularity, bringing to light a number of issues. Effective primary medical networks are crucial, as the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for improving public health responses during crises and revealed the existing fragmentation in healthcare delivery systems.