By Olga Moskalenko, Technical Journalist, SoftVelopers Corp.
Twitter: @Softvelopers
Twitter: @OlgaMoskalenko_
The healthcare industry has been maintaining the upper hand in adoption of latest innovations so far. Today, we have instant messaging tools, video-conferencing platforms, smartphones with high-resolution cameras and high-speed Internet, wearable and connected med devices, bedside cameras, medical education systems, and many more. There are so many directions for telehealth to further evolve.
One of them is to enhance care accessibility and patient outcome, where patients can be relieved from office visits for a remote qualitative care. The other one is to provide convenience for doctors, nurses, and medical students in efficient data exchange and timely communication. Let’s have a closer look at what is more likely to drive maximum patient-centered care.
Communication systems
These are different types of communication means that enable patients to freely talk to their physicians or nurses wherever they are. To save time for both sides, many healthcare providers tend to implement advisory programs and AI-driven medical assistants for routine medical problems and chronic conditions. It has become also possible to get a necessary support via group or individual Skype calls, web-based patient care, or a dedicated communication platform. Medical software companies develop special mobile apps, using which patients can request lab results and a prescription refill, schedule an appointment, and join the community of people with the same health problems.
Virtual appointments
In case of patient’s inability to visit the doctor in person, a virtual appointment can be held using a video-conferencing platform. Virtual appointments come in handy for patients with chronic symptoms, after surgery and during pregnancy, for elderly people and parents with little kids. The physicians pose a set of questions to patients in order to determine their condition, suggest right care and prescribe medication if needed.
Condition monitoring
Remote monitoring apps and devices complement a treatment plan and timely inform the healthcare providers whether the patient is in a stable or critical condition. Patients use mobile apps and wearables to report about their weight, heart rate, blood pressure, glucose level, etc. For elderly and disabled people, there are home monitoring devices that track changes in moving patterns and alert the doctor whether the patient experiences some trouble. The usage of remote monitoring approaches is equally beneficial for doctors and patients: reduced amount of readmissions and hospitalizations, improved quality of care and patient’s life, cut costs.
Ambulatory care
Ambulatory care requires the presence of qualified med specialists who can consult, treat and assist any patient at the right time. Telehealth helps to arrange a team care in terms of ambulatory service to a bigger amount of patients ensuring a better outcome.
In cases, when first aid requires prompt assistance from more experienced specialists not available at the moment, hands-free wearable telehealth solutions appear to prove their effect. A first responder has a wearable device on, which streams live video and audio to a remote specialist in order to get actionable advice on how to provide patient-sensitive care. The first responder is thus not distracted from the patient and can give a timely first aid under the distant guidance.
Acute care
ICUs around many medical facilities and rural hospitals already benefit from using telehealth that allows providing patients with continuous care and monitoring. Critically ill patients are being watched 24/7 via telemedicine monitors installed close to their hospital beds. Nurses and doctors can visually communicate with patients and provide accurate care regardless of the distance.
Benefits in the Future
There are hundreds of technologies already applied to treat patients better, aggregate valuable data, educate nurses and doctors. Telehealth has firmly reshaped the way the healthcare is provided nowadays. What is yet to expect in the near future?
More people will receive help. Whether they have the opportunity to visit a doctor and receive recommendations in person or not, they will be still able to exchange data about their health state with the doctor.
Virtualized medical centers. Medical specialists will have the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience beyond the today boundaries, thus helping way more people than they do in person.
More services go remote. Radiology, neurology, dermatology and other healthcare fields can go remote, thus streamlining the operational and outcome efficiency.
Governmental support. For example, now states cannot restrict caregivers in providing telehealth services as long as their quality is equal to in-person care. Given this, more and more barriers will be removed in telehealth care provision.