Chapter VIII : Case Study # 3 : Technological Advances Create Digital Divide in Health Care

1.)Can you provide examples that either refute or confirm the idea that a gap exist between the kinds of healthcare services avilable to the wealthy and the poor in the United States?

There are many ways to conform or refute the idea that a gap exists between the healthcare services available to the wealthy and the poor in the United States. The wealthy people can hire a doctor or a physician to look over the patient's illness while the poor people can't afford doctors/physician to look over them. Another example is wealthy people can go to see their doctors anytime to have a general check ups while the poor people cannot afford the fair going to the hospital/clinic.

2.)Should healthcare organizations make major investments in telemedicine to provide improved services taht only the wealthy can afford?

Telemedicine employs modern telecomunications and information technologies to provide medical care to people who lived far away from the health care providers. Wealthy people can afford the medical care services even they are just lived in urban place. This technology reduces the need for patients to travel for treatment and allows health care professionals to serve more patients in a broader geographic area. 

3.)What are the drawbacks of telemedicine? What situations might not led themselves to telemedicine solutions?

On balance the benefits of telemedicine are substantial, assuming that more research will reduce or eliminate the obvious drawbacks. The main drawbacks of telemedicine that can be envisaged are : A breakdown in the relationship between health professional and patient.Next, a breakdown in the relationship between health professionals.And quality of information issues. When you live in or near a large city, having convenient access to needed medical care is easy to take for granted. Often a minor ailment can turn into something much more serious when not treated. Cisco Systems has developed a solution to bridge the gap of distance between patient and physician. The  Telemedicine Solution is a technology platform that allows doctors and patients to interact while being miles apart.

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