Choosing the right form of telehealth can be a daunting task, right? The terms synchronous and asynchronous might have come up in your research. Understanding the difference between synchronous vs. asynchronous telehealth is important to determine your future objectives and which telehealth platform you need.

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What This Article Covers:

• What Is Synchronous Telehealth?
• What Is Asynchronous Telehealth?
• Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Telehealth
• Applications
• Rise of Telehealth
• Next Steps

What Is Synchronous Telehealth?

Synchronous telehealth is a form of remote communication between patients and doctors via phone or video. Here, both parties interact with one another in real time through mobile devices or computers.

The ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology) defines live (synchronous) videoconferencing telehealth as “a two-way audiovisual link between a patient and a care provider.”

The value of synchronous telehealth is manifold, offering new avenues for patients and medical professionals.

Synchronous telehealth is a boon for patients living in remote areas. They can avoid lengthy trips to an office for minor symptoms and basic questions.

It assists health care providers in overcoming geographical barriers and providing access to health care as well.

It allows you to remotely receive information from patients so you can make important diagnosis decisions when patients aren’t physically present. It also works hand in hand with integrated mobile health care applications that help medical staff connect with patients efficiently.

This can help save a lot on travel and laboratory test costs for patients while also boosting the growth of telehealth among the masses.

Further, telehealth technologies are making virtual visits more convenient as nurses and technicians can use them to record patient vitals and other critical information and send it directly to doctors for examination.

Some of the instruments used in synchronous telehealth are:

• Blood pressure monitors
• Heart rate monitors
• Thermometers
• Oximeters
• Cameras
• Scales

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What Is Asynchronous Telehealth?

Asynchronous telehealth, also known as the store-and-forward method, is a telemedicine technique where patients send reports and health data to health care providers for review later.

In this method, patients send data to a specialist clinic or medical professional, where it’s stored in a repository until the health care professional gets an opportunity to review it.

This mode of health care delivery is propagated by telehealth systems and is especially beneficial for health care providers experiencing higher patient numbers. It helps you go through every patient detail and report minutely when you have time. Patients also benefit from asynchronous telehealth as they can connect with providers at a time of their choosing.

Asynchronous telehealth is popular in:

• Dermatology
• Radiology
• Orthopedics
• Opthalmology
• Cosmetic surgery

It especially helps in image and digital data transfer between patients and clinics.

In store-and-forward telehealth communication data transfer doesn’t have to be a one-time transmission. Patients can send you updated information if and when they have it.

Some examples of asynchronous telehealth are:

• X-rays
• Doctor-patient messaging
• AI bots
• Patient report sharing
• Survey questionnaires

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Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Telehealth

So what’re the differences between synchronous vs. asynchronous telehealth? And which should you choose?

Synchronous telehealth is more suited for practices looking to provide telemedicine services such as video call consultations, real-time observations, vitals monitoring and more. Online call scheduling helps you minimize a major challenge on the path to treatment — distance.

Asynchronous communication provides peace of mind and flexibility to primary care providers in dealing with patients and colleagues. The communication isn’t live, which can help clinicians be more efficient in managing schedules. Asynchronous telehealth works best when a medical professional needs to work with an office remotely or pass data from a different time zone.

Benefits of Asynchronous Telehealth

Asynchronous telehealth is one of the most cost-efficient ways to treat patients online. It provides flexibility to patients as they can send medical documents, fill out online forms and more at their convenience.

More than patients, primary health care providers benefit from asynchronous telehealth. It allows you to provide valuable suggestions to patients outside of in-person visits or video calls. By consulting reports and medical images, you can make informed care decisions.

It also automates patient intake and allows you and your staff sufficient time to look into patient queries and make decisions.

Benefits of Synchronous Telehealth

On-demand video calls and online meetings help patients reduce the biggest challenge of all — commutes. With synchronous telehealth, patients and physicians can set up video calls and carry out appointments without any delay or need to travel. Patients can attend calls from their office or living room.

For primary health care providers, this mode of communication helps you reduce patient no-shows and unnecessary expenditures. Reduced wait times can positively impact patient retention and open a new door to expansion.

Clinics can start new specialty services with telehealth systems to boost revenue streams and grow business. Online appointments and an attractive portfolio can also help in expanding your reach to other patient populations.

Asynchronous telehealth allows doctors additional time to review reports and consult specialists before making a diagnosis. On the other hand, synchronous telehealth allows patients and doctors to have in-depth consultations. Doctors can fetch patient data on a call and review it.

One of the most important roles of asynchronous telehealth is its ability to reduce interruptions. Medical staff can work in peace and increase productivity manifold. However, synchronous telehealth provides real-time access to doctors for urgent situations.

Synchronous communication allows live access to patients. Whereas asynchronous telehealth equips a store-and-forward technique where medical staff can store patient information for later review.

Oftentimes, a combination of synchronous and asynchronous telehealth is your best bet, if you have the resources.

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Applications

While we’ve touched on all the differences and definitions of synchronous vs. asynchronous telehealth, here is a list of their applications in the medical world.

Synchronous

• Through telehealth systems such as video conferencing, both patients and clinicians can save time while delving deep into health conditions that require frequent monitoring.
• Doctors and primary care providers can get in touch with specialists in another city for additional knowledge and queries.
• Synchronous telehealth addresses distance barriers by connecting patients with medical specialists located far away. Doctors can set up video calls and reach patients directly.
• Synchronous telehealth also helps in cardiovascular treatment where patient transmit vitals such as blood pressure, pulse rate, electrical activity, oxygen levels and sugar levels to clinics for analysis.

Doctors and patients can meet on video calls for appointments remotely. Source

Asynchronous

• Asynchronous telehealth helps clinics forward X-rays and MRI reports to specialists for review.
• In dermatology, primary providers can click and send pictures to dermatologists for review. It also helps specialists suggest the necessary treatment.
• It provides patients with more autonomy to access their medical information and schedule visits. Integrating it with a patient portal system is a good idea.
• Images and data transmitted through asynchronous modes pave way for better visits between patients and doctors at the time of video calls.

Rise of Telehealth

Telehealth systems connect patients and doctors when in-person care isn’t necessary during treatment. Although telehealth was around for centuries in some form or another, its ride to prominence came with the COVID-19 pandemic.

With traditional in-person visits restricted, health care organizations leveraged telehealth benefits to stay operational and provide care to patients remotely. Since then, the medical industry is investing more and more in telehealth technologies and health information technology to improve remote care delivery.

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Next Steps

Health care workers need to implement telehealth smartly. New-age telehealth offers an omnichannel approach that provides both asynchronous and synchronous offerings.

It’s important to do meticulous research and educate yourself about the potential benefits of both telehealth modes and decide which one will suit your needs — you may find you want both. Making sure to implement the correct communication will benefit both you and the patients.

The future of telehealth looks bright. As telecommunications technology and medical equipment continue to develop, telehealth will prolifer and open newer avenues to the care continuum.

Looking for efficient telehealth software to integrate into your service? Look at our comparison report to know more about the leaders and top software in the market.

Which telehealth method is more convenient for you? Leave comments below.