Health Topic

Telehealth

Telehealth is the use of communications technologies to provide health care from a distance. Learn about the benefits, problems, and the types of care available using telehealth.

Reviewed Reviewed by a registered pharmacistGeneral information

Also called: Telemedicine

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Telehealth

Telehealth is the use of communications technologies to provide health care from a distance. These technologies may include computers, cameras, videoconferencing, the Internet, and satellite and wireless communications. Some examples of telehealth include:

  • A "virtual visit" with a health care provider, through a phone call or video chat
  • Remote patient monitoring, which lets your provider check on you while you are at home. For example, you might wear a device that measures your heart rate and sends that information to your provider.
  • A surgeon using robotic technology to do surgery from a different location
  • Sensors that can alert caregivers if a person with dementia leaves the house
  • Sending your provider a message through your electronic health record (EHR)
  • Watching an online video that your provider sent you about how to use an inhaler
  • Getting an email, phone, or text reminder that it's time for a cancer screening

Sometimes people use the term telemedicine to mean the same thing as telehealth. Telehealth is a broader term. It includes telemedicine. But it also includes things like training for health care providers, health care administrative meetings, and services provided by pharmacists and social workers.

Some of the benefits of telehealth include:

  • Getting care at home, especially for people who can't easily get to their providers' offices
  • Getting care from a specialist who is not close by
  • Getting care after office hours
  • More communication with your providers
  • Better communication and coordination between health care providers
  • More support for people who are managing their health conditions, especially chronic conditions such as diabetes
  • Lower cost, since virtual visits may be cheaper than in-person visits

Some of the problems with telehealth include:

  • If your virtual visit is with someone who is not your regular provider, he or she may not have all of your medical history
  • After a virtual visit, it may be up to you to coordinate your care with your regular provider
  • In some cases, the provider may not be able to make the right diagnosis without examining you in person. Or your provider may need you to come in for a lab test.
  • There may be problems with the technology, for example, if you lose the connection, there is a problem with the software, etc.
  • Some insurance companies may not cover telehealth visits

The types of care that you can get using telehealth may include:

  • General health care, like wellness visits
  • Prescriptions for medicine
  • Dermatology (skin care)
  • Eye exams
  • Nutrition counseling
  • Mental health counseling
  • Urgent care conditions, such as sinusitis, urinary tract infections, common rashes, etc.

For telehealth visits, just like with an in-person visit, it is important to be prepared and have good communication with the provider.

It sits within Health System.

The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the NIH Office of the Director.

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Research on Telehealth

2,653 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

Start Here

Related Issues

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Telemedicine. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Telehealth, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.