Technology has revolutionized how people do business in different sectors. However, few people are aware of the benefits it has brought to the healthcare sector through telehealth services.

Also known as telemedicine, this is a safe, innovative, and private method that allows patients to meet with doctors conveniently from the comfort of their locations. While this innovative way has several benefits across various areas in the health sector, this article will focus on understanding telehealth services for STDs.

Read on for more.

Details about telehealth for STDs.

Telehealth for sexually transmitted diseases can be an ideal option for individuals who are more comfortable discussing their sexual health status privately in their homes. However, this method should be judiciously applied and often requires dedicated in-person testing.

Very few STDs can be diagnosed correctly by observing the symptoms alone. And this is why syndromic STD treatment is usually a reserved for low-resource facilities or areas; for instance, where people are unlikely to return for test results or where there are restrictive testing costs.

Instances for using telehealth services for STDs.

The coming of Covid-19 increased the interest and need for telehealth services in various medical faculties. Many people realized that telehealth services could be better than in-person healthcare.

When individuals have enough resources to afford and engage in telehealth correctly, they reduce costs and time used during hospital visits. But be careful, telemedicine cannot be valuable in all health conditions.

Sexually transmitted infection management is one critical area where telemedicine could be a great option. Remember, it is not always a better option, even with STIs, since most sexually transmitted infections need various laboratory tests to help with diagnosis. Therefore, telehealth alone cannot tell exactly if you have STDs or other infections.

Although telehealth has its downsides, it can be a perfect way to follow up on tests and treatment. This is exclusively true if it is used alongside scheduled laboratory screening where patients can conveniently give samples and then follow up later through telehealth.

Also, telemedicine can be a perfect choice for partner notification and treatment. Actually, this has been among the areas where telehealth and e-services for STD research have been focused on.

Contact tracing and partner notifications can be used to get in touch with patients and treat their partners if they have cases of new infections and may have infected their significant other without knowing.

Generally, telemedicine for STDs may be an ideal option for prevention and an ongoing treatment than the diagnosis of STIs after the first exposure.

Even before the emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic, medical researchers showed that telemedicine could be a great way of educating people about preexposure prophylaxis or prep for HIV or getting the patient start on a new treatment method.

The study also found that patients directed by a telehealth officer had better compliance with the recommended management and treatment methods than those referred from normal STD testing and service programs.

Conditions that can require that you be seen in person.

In case you are worried about getting a new sexually-related infection, you may consider going to the physician at least for laboratory tests.

While it can be possible for the telehealthcare provider to visit you at your premises, based on the symptoms, you’ll definitely have to provide give either a urine sample, blood sample, or other forms of swab tests to get the real cause of the infection.

And though there are STDs home screenings, to get the actual and reliable results, you are required to physically visit the lab or submit test samples.

Conclusion.

Telehealth for STDs is something that is gaining a lot of interest from many people globally. It can be an ideal alternative for multiple sexual-related complications, including sexual dysfunction in both men and women.

However, currently, there is no standalone telehealth for STDs. Laboratory screening is still of greater importance for diagnosis, care, and treatment. But a growing number of physicians offer online and at-home at-home testing services, which allow positive test results to be handled through telehealth options.

With the current wave in its uptake, telemedicine is projected to grow ten folds in the near future, not only for commercial purposes but as a way to streamline testing services.