Telehealth vs in person care – What is the difference and why are they important?

Telehealth vs in person – what’s the difference? 

One of the easiest ways to distinguish the differences between telehealth and in-person face-to-face care is primarily through the mode of delivery. Telehealth services use technology like a computer or tablet to deliver care from a distance. Whereas in-person care is directly provided to a patient by a health or social care professional in the same physical location, involving more hands-on and an immediate approach to addressing health concerns.  

Telehealth will never completely replace in-person care but it serves well as an additional access point for patients to provide more convenient care. In 2022 25% of patients used telehealth services and the demand post-pandemic remains steady. Since its surge in the last few years, telehealth has also adapted to address more specific health concerns, particularly mental health with teletherapy services.  

Definition of teletherapy 

With over 1.4 million people being referred to talking therapies on average every year, teletherapy refers to the provision of therapy or counselling sessions remotely through virtual consultations either with video calls, phone calls, or messaging.  

Teletherapy has become very popular over the past few years as it allows individuals the opportunity to have counselling in an environment they feel both comfortable and safe in during a situation that may be difficult. 

Having this service remotely, similar to telehealth services in general, improves access to support, particularly mental health support from licensed therapists without being physically present in the same location, it also helps individuals seek mental health support quicker when demands are so high.  

Telehealth vs face-to-face patient care – why are they important? 

Both Telehealth and face-to-face patient care are equally important across health and social care for several reasons. Studies have shown that although telehealth services are just as good as in-person care for several health and social care issues, telehealth is not the same as in-person care and you cannot solely use telehealth services for some conditions.  

Findings from some studies have shown however have shown that for some conditions telehealth is better. As discussed some mental health conditions can solely be supported through teletherapy, but it is important to note that this is always decided based on each individual. So whilst telehealth is beneficial it does serve as an additional access point for individuals to provide more convenient care and support. 

When deciding whether to use telehealth or in person care, it isn’t that one option is necessarily better it ultimately comes down to how comfortable a patient is with technology, what their needs are, and how aware patients are about the benefits of telehealth and how it can impact them. 

 Below is a table demonstrating the benefits of both telehealth and face-to-face care.  

Both telehealth and in-person care are important to help reduce demand by enhancing accessibility and regular support, especially for those facing barriers in reaching social care services. Equally, both do have disadvantages, the biggest challenge for telehealth being that in most cases it cannot be used on its own. In-person care, for example, can experience long waiting times, increases in discharge delays, and limited accessibility due to the increasing demand and limited budgets.  

However, when used collaboratively they can complement each other. Integrating both approaches across health and social care enables more holistic and adaptable support to be delivered that caters to every diverse need. 

Cost of telehealth vs In person care 

As we are aware, budgets across health and social care are tight and getting more limited each year.  

According to KingsFund, a 9-minute GP appointment costs on average £42 whereas a 7-minute telephone consultation with a GP costs on average £27. Across the UK on average every year there are over 390 million GP appointments delivered each, however, not all patients attend their appointments which on average can cost the NHS £160 million each year. Home visits on the other hand roughly lasting 23 minutes cost £114 per appointment and in 2020/2021 it was estimated the average cost of a patient being taken into A& E was £367.  

Telehealth services reduce costs by helping individuals to live more independently at home for longer before something more critical takes place. This, in turn, reduces hospitalisations, saves on transportation, offers better preventative care, and improves chronic disease management. Here individuals can help individuals manage their health and wellbeing more efficiently to be more proactive in managing their symptoms. 

Implementing telehealth services is not always cheap, however, Paul Burstow claims that when health and social care services implement both telehealth and telecare properly it will save the NHS £1.2 billion allowing individuals to stay in more control of their care.  

For example, if one in-person GP appointment changed to a telephone consultation the money saved would be on average £15 per appointment.  

Best ways to use in-person and telehealth services across health and social care 

As discussed both telehealth and in-person care offer both advantages and disadvantages. Combining both types of services delivers a hybrid approach to health and social care services to deliver a higher quality holistic approach to care and support that puts the individual first.  

Examples of using face-to-face care and telehealth services 

1. Assessment and consultation  

Comparing the pros and cons of in person care and telehealth services, this article explained that telehealth services are better for follow-up assessments and some initial assessments depending on an individual’s condition. Through using telehealth services in this way across both health and social care, in-person care can be reserved for more complex cases, immediate interventions, and when physical presence is needed to reduce workloads, reduce waiting times, and ensure individuals get the support and care they need when they need it.
 

2. Continuity of Care  

Through combining telehealth and in-person care your health and social care services can deliver a better continuity of care. Telehealth in social care allows individuals, their loved ones, and their carers to have regular communication and real-time updates on an individual’s activity so they can be notified of any changes in activity before something more critical takes place.  

Here face-to-face care and visits can be delivered for more comprehensive interventions when physical presence is needed. This, in turn, allows individuals and loved ones to feel reassured that they can remain living independently knowing both virtual and in person support will be consistently delivered.  

3. Emergency responses  

Through using both telehealth and in person care, health, and social care providers can establish protocols for emergencies where telehealth can initially pick up the changes in activity to highlight individuals at risk. Telehealth, in particular telecare, can be used for initial assessments during emergencies as alerts can be sent to an ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre) to decide whether in person care is necessary.  

4. Collaborative working  

Granting both health and social care providers access to telehealth services allows better collaborative working across the market. This allows more outcomes-focused care to be delivered so each care plan can be tailored for every diverse need.  

Here better established hybrid care plans can be created to seamlessly integrate both services. This, in turn, helps health and social care providers have better resource allocation to maximise efficiency and allow restricted budgets to stretch further so no one is left without the support they need.  

5. Continuously improve outcomes  

Through integrating both telehealth services and in person care, health and social care providers can gather feedback from end-users, their loved ones, support workers, and clinicians on the effectiveness of the integration of services. Health and social care providers can then identify gaps in the market to make the necessary adjustments and improvements needed to improve their quality of care.
  

How can Access Technology Enabled Care help health and social care providers combine telehealth and in-person care? 

A balanced and flexible approach is essential to cater to the diverse needs of individuals whilst leveraging the advantages of both telehealth and in person care across health and social care. At Access Technology Enabled Care (Access TEC), we know it is important to transition from a reactive care model to a proactive one. We combine both traditional reactive alarm functionality with digital insight onto one singular platform so clinicians, support workers, and end-users alike can manage health and social care better.  

We offer both wearable technology and more traditional types of telecare to help provide better support for individuals both inside and outside of the home to boost confidence, reduce the frequency of hospital admissions and emergency visits, and most importantly improve quality of life.  

The data collected from our digital telecare solutions sends out actionable insights via smart alerts to the wider care circle of an individual to help decide the next best call to action when activity changes. Here our system allows people to remain living independently and recover from illness and injury in the most ideal place for them, their home.  

Here our technology enabled care offers a variety of solutions to best support individuals within your community both now and in the future as the world switches from analogue to digital and as the needs of the community change too, so no one goes without the support they need to reach their independent living goals.  

Summarising how to use both telehealth and in person care across health and social care 

This article has highlighted the differences between telehealth and in person care when it is best to use both, as well as the pros and cons of each. Through evaluating the pros and cons of each and summarising some key studies on the effectiveness of telehealth, this article has highlighted that telehealth in most cases can’t be used solely on its own, the best way to use these services is to integrate them both within care plans to get the best outcomes possible.  

This article has also highlighted that not all individuals will want to or be able to use telehealth services so it is vital to understand the needs of the community before implementing any major changes to care plans as well as include individuals within these discussions so they can have more control over their care to increase engagement, reduce demand, and enable individuals to be more proactive in managing their health and wellbeing.  

For more information, discover our technology enabled care today and contact us to see firsthand how both health and social care providers are integrating telehealth and in-person care to deliver the best person-centred proactive care possible to the highest standard.