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Connecting through telemedicine at home has big benefits during the pandemic. It “enables us to offer continuity of care for patients, but it also keeps them from accessing care from through other channels — like emergency departments and urgent cares — reducing the stress on the healthcare system during this difficult time,” explains Joan Berta, Director of Physicians Practice at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.
For patients connecting with doctors at home, the convenience factor of telemedicine is a tremendous benefit. Kimberly Brennan, PT, Administrative Director, Outpatient Therapy and Specialized Services at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, thinks that convenience “could help lead to better compliance with physician and therapy visits, and positive outcomes as a result.”
Brennan notes that another benefit is that by seeing patients in their homes, their physical therapists and other clinicians “have been able to create exercise plans and recommend equipment to help patients navigate in specific environments. This access has been especially valuable within our pediatric population, as kids’ behaviors and motivating factors are often different in their home environments than in traditional physician and therapy sessions.”
