How Telehealth Supports Parasitology
Parasitology is a vast specialty that encompasses the study of parasites and diseases which are caused by parasites. The main types of parasites that can cause diseases are ectoparasites, protozoa, and helminths. Protozoa can cause serious infections in patients, and often live in the intestinal system, often contracted through contaminated food or water. Common types of helminths often seen are flatworms, roundworms, and thorny-headed worms. Roundworms can invade the whole body of a patient, including their gastrointestinal system, lymphatic system, blood, and various body tissues. Ectoparasites exist outside of the body, most broadly including arthropods that feed on blood and tissue such as ticks, fleas, mites, lice, and most dangerously mosquitoes.
Ectoparasites, particularly mosquitoes, are the cause of diseases with some of the highest death tolls in the world. Malaria is a disease that causes the highest number of deaths spread by parasites, approximately 400,000 patients a year (CDC). Parasites often spread through contamination and are more prevalent in areas with less development, neglected areas, and tropical climates. Unfortunately, many parasitic illnesses don’t manage to gain much attention, leading many to be classified as Neglected Tropical Diseases. Guinea worm disease, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, dengue, and Chagas disease are just a few of the many NTDs that ail more than a billion people around the world, mostly those in rural areas.
Telehealth provides many advantages towards combating parasites and the diseases they can spread. There are many parasites, such as ringworms, arthropods that burrow in the skin, and many more that show symptoms that can be diagnosed visually through teleconsultations. Telehealth solutions provide quicker and better access to communities that would otherwise need to travel great distances or be forced to live with their ailments. There are also parasite diseases that have lasting consequences such as Chagas disease, and cerebral malaria that can require lifelong observations and treatment. Telehealth solutions can also serve as powerful educational tools and a way to quickly disseminate information in the wake of outbreaks. As parasitology is a wide area of study, it is also possible for telehealth solutions such as Global Telehealth Exchange to connect doctors worldwide when there is a need for other expertise on the subject or even if a disease has led to complications where they need to refer to other specialties.
Global Telehealth Exchange (GTHE) is a state-of-the-art telehealth solution that encompasses many aspects of the healthcare journey. It is HIPAA-compliant, secure, and provides worldwide access to healthcare. With access to healthcare professionals globally, and the ability to securely share information, patients using GTHE will have no problems in getting the help they need from anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, healthcare providers have greater access to other specialties for referrals if the need arises. And, as many specialties require better or quicker communication channels, having easy access to full medical records, which are in full control of the patient, can help healthcare providers to diagnose and advise treatment options more efficiently. General practitioners and specialists using GTHE can easily make referrals or share documentation when needed.
GTHE offers many benefits to healthcare providers including:
- Instant reimbursement
- Top level data security
- Cross-border treatments
- No additional paperwork, and in most cases eliminates it all together
- Full control over your rates, availability, and schedule
- No monthly or annual subscription fee
- No contract commitments
With GTHE, healthcare providers can connect with their patients seamlessly and provide a better remote standard of care. If you want to expand your medical practice without investing in expensive software, visit the GTHE website and sign up now.
