Telehealth helpful for rural U.S. veterans, but no panacea

The Department of Veterans Affairs is using telehealth to expand access to care for veterans who live in rural settings.

A November 25, 2019 NPR article explored the both the benefits and limitations of telehealth, which allows clinicians to interact with patients through video conferences.

Ashish Jha, K.T. Li Professor of Global Health and Dean for Global Strategy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, noted that telehealth might not be effective when it comes to evaluating a patient with chest discomfort, because it may be hard to tell if that person just has a sprained muscle or is having an early heart attack. “We have to know when telemedicine is effective and when we have to physically bring people in,” he said. That’s a new area that we’re still learning.”

Read the NPR article: Department Of Veterans Affairs Thinks Telehealth Clinics May Help Vets In Rural Areas