Drug abuse is rampant in the United States. Consequently, rehabilitation is tough. There are many barriers to successful rehabilitation. For example, patients living in remote areas face difficulty in accessing good therapists and good care. The rise in telehealth services is proved to be a boon for such patients. There have been many studies that show that telehealth services have the potential to transform rehabilitation. By providing the best online therapy consultation, it can improve the way we rehabilitate patients of substance abuse. In fact, it can help in reducing the number of patients that are impacted by the opioid crisis in the United States.
Drug abuse in the United States
Drug addiction is increasing exponentially with time in the United States. It is becoming a deadly epidemic and is impacting millions of Americans. People use prescripted medicines like pain killers etc as drugs. Everyone knows how illegal street drugs like heroin and fentanyl are destroying millions of lives daily. In fact, according to a report by CNN, in the year 2016, more than 66% of all overdose deaths in the United States were a result of opioids abuse. Even now, drug overdose is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Millions of Americans abuse opioids in their daily life.
How telehealth can help drug addictions
Telehealth increases the patient’s access to treatment options. It also improves the quality of care received by patients. Patients living in remote areas face difficulty in accessing healthcare. Especially, in the case of drug addiction, many rural states like Oklahoma and West Virginia have the highest average of opioid abuse in the United States. Patients here do not have easy access to the best healthcare. Telehealth makes this possible. It helps doctors in targetting the drug addicts in such rural states where people need them most.
Telehealthcare helps patients in many other ways also. For example, it helps patients to stay on track to become sober. It reminds them of their progress which gives them the motivation to keep doing a good job. Many patients lack such support that telehealth may provide them. One of the main reasons for patient relapse is premature dismissal from a treatment facility. Telehealth technology solves this issue by offering support chat and motivational text messages to patients. Consequently, they remain on their track and become addiction-free.
Conclusion
Telehealth services have changed the face of the medical fraternity. They help not only patients but also doctors and therapists. In case of rising drug abuse in the United States, telehealth services can help in the effective rehabilitation of patients. By providing the best online therapy consultation, they not only save time and money for patients but also offer them good care in their homes. Telehealth services can stop people from leaving their rehabilitation early by motivating them in various ways. They can help patients in tracking their progress. They can also help in setting goals and achieving them by sending reminders. This way patients remain motivated towards their goal and complete their rehabilitation.
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