Telehealth has a bright future ahead of it.
The healthcare industry had to adapt quickly to cope with the social distancing measures put in place to help flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections. At the height of the pandemic, telehealth became a lifeline for hospitals, clinics, and doctors looking for a way to provide the same level of care while limiting the spread of the coronavirus. Key trends in the use of technology have emerged, and they will continue to shape the future of telehealth services.
Simply put, telehealth is the use of communication technology to provide healthcare services to patients without the need for them to be in the same physical location. Examples include video chat via apps or webcams, phones, and video conference software.
Prior to the pandemic, telehealth services were mostly sporadic and had a wide range of limitations.
Originally, they were designed to help patients in rural and underserved areas get access to specialists when local resources were scarce. In the years 2020-2021, telehealth will be widely used in all aspects of the industry.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), telehealth usage increased by more than 154 percent from late March 2019 to late March 2020.
According to current predictions made by Fortune Business Insight, the market will grow to over $397 billion USD by 2027.
To put the impact of the pandemic on perspective, the market was only worth $42 billion USD in 2019.
While telehealth usage has decreased since the pandemic’s peak, it is clear that it is now an important part of the future of healthcare delivery. What’s emerging now is a renewed understanding of the strategic value that telehealth can bring to the healthcare industry. Here are four key trends driving the future of telehealth as organisations around the world plan to continue to use this technology.
BizBrolly, mobile app development, website development, and Business Intelligence company in Noida that also provides IoT App Development Services in Noida is known for its excellent telemedicine software. Working for 5 years in the healthcare software domain they are continuously getting Information Technology right in the same.
Telemedicine has various benefits:
1. Patient utilisation has increased.
What started out as a strategy to reduce the amount of community transmission has turned into a lively discussion among healthcare professionals about the future of telehealth consultations for many clients. It’s now widely regarded as a cost-effective first-line treatment for non-urgent and follow-up conditions.
Telehealth utilisation has stabilised at 38 times pre-pandemic levels as of July 2021. 6 Evidence also supported the increased use of telehealth prior to the pandemic. According to a McKinsey survey, 76 percent of patients said they would be interested in using telehealth in the future. 6 In addition, in a study published in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, more than half of respondents said they would use telehealth to refill medications, prepare for an upcoming visit, review test results, or receive education. 8 Moving forward, we can expect to see healthcare providers and insurance companies collaborate to expand the availability and accessibility of telehealth.
2. Improvements in chronic-care management
Around one-third of all adults in the world suffer from a chronic condition, such as kidney disease, heart disease, cancer, lung disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and stroke side effects. In most cases, these patients’ lifestyle choices and preventative care methods can aid in the prevention and treatment of these diseases. However, a significant number of these patients do not complete their treatment, do not take or refill their repeat prescriptions, and do not attend their regular follow-up appointments to help manage their symptoms.
The industry loses billions of dollars each year due to noncompliance with a care plan. Telehealth has the potential to improve patient engagement and adherence while also lowering the cost of a care plan. Furthermore, as demand grows, more companies are branching out and entering the market, necessitating action by businesses to stay ahead of the competition.
Nobody wants to have to juggle multiple apps and websites for their telehealth experience to be seamless and integrated. Developers are looking for ways to provide comprehensive service using integrated communications like video, webchat, and bots, as well as real-time updates, reminders, and follow-up appointments. Furthermore, it must be streamlined for ease of use, allowing patients to quickly access and navigate all of their information.
3. Data sharing that is integrated
It is nothing new that services that allow data sharing are becoming easier and more convenient to use, and as a result, telehealth is moving in this direction. Many telehealth apps are starting to integrate and communicate with fitness apps, for example, to collect data such as step count and heart rate directly from a user’s device. This will provide healthcare professionals with a more complete picture of a person’s lifestyle, which, when combined with electronic health records, will help to create a more accurate picture of their current health.
Interoperability, or the ability to access, exchange, integrate, and cooperatively use data in a coordinated manner within and across different organisations, is driving this idea of integrated data sharing.
