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Telehealth or Virtual appointments are health resources services that use electronic communication to provide patients with long-distance medical advice, education, and care in general. This virtual visits can be provided to any patient, under most specialist and is provided by the vast majority of hospitals and clinics all around the country and the world. Telehealth visits allow the patient to connect with the providers at the comfort of their home.

Telehealth and pregnancy

According to lancet.com maternal morbidity and mortality has improved globally, but in the other hand the U.S maternal morbidity and mortality has become worse which the cause of this is often due to a low quality prenatal care, chronic diseases and patients skipping essential healthcare appointments due to a higher cost or patients not having the time to attend appointments due their work duties. Telehealth has been implemented in most OBGY facilities around the country to facilitate patients with access to a specialist that can address their issues and needs without having to be physically present. The American Association of Obstetrician and Gynecologist (ACOG) validates the statement that telehealth improves positive outcomes during pregnancy and facilitates care, but telehealth do not replace the current standard of care or protocols, if the patient is consider for a higher risk pregnancy and further examinations needs to be done, telehealth does not replace in person care. Remote patient monitoring consist in using devices to record the patients vital sings and determine if there is any condition that needs to be address. During pregnancy is important to monitor blood pressure, blood glucose and fetal heartbeat to determine the overall health of the mother and the baby. For this to be possible the patient has to be equipped with a glucometer, sphygmomanometer and a at home fetal monitor.

It is imperative to know when to seek in-person care. During telehealth visit and providers assessment, the specialist will determine if is necessary for the patient to be seen in person and will provide the patients with necessary instructions on how to proceed. Patients should seek in person medical services when there is a decrease in fetal movement, the patient is presenting symptoms and signs of labor or early labor, the fetus suffers from abnormalities that need to be constantly monitor, the patient is experiencing symptoms of preeclampsia. All this sings need to be monitor and controlled in person and can not be treated using telehealth, this symptoms and sings can lead to serious medical conditions and even death for the mother and fetus, which makes it very imperative to obtain accurate patient monitoring and successfully communicate with the specialist.

After pregnancy the maternal care does not stop. Patients need to be provided with care during all the stages of the pregnancy and also the child's life. Telehealth provides new parents with remote care for the first few days and weeks which are challenging for the patients. Telehealth can provide new mothers with mental health support remotely and provides a safe space for the patient to ask any questions.