Bridging the Gap in United States Primary Care Delivery by Adoption of Telemedicine

This paper explores ways to bridge the gap in primary care using telemedicine. Shortage in primary care physicians was identified as a major attributor to the widening gap between patient and physicians in primary care. This study explains the importance of primary care by recognizing its role as a gateway to patient care and how deficits at the primary care level affects the general population by reducing the quality of care, decreasing access to care while increasing cost and risk. The researcher details how technology has been a major part of the diagnostic and interventive part of patient care since the discovery of the telephone, explores the evolution of telemedicine by understanding the political timeline and policies/laws that drives the telemedicine industry. By defining telemedicine and building a conceptual framework within the context of study, the researcher explored ways in which the telemedicine can be applied to bridge the gap in primary care. Following the trend on the integration of telemedicine to patient care enables the researcher to identify the advantages and limitations in the use of telemedicine.