Telehealth encompasses is providing virtual medical, health and education services through wide range of telecommunication technologies such as video conferencing, remote monitoring devices etc. In last few years, the extensive availability and acceptance of advanced technology has increased the use of Telehealth application. The foundation of Telehealth technology is supported by two main concepts, first for decreasing the travel time and other one is related cost. In healthcare industry, Telehealth is changing rapidly and bringing new opportunities.
Telehealth mainly focuses on preventive care for remediating a critical medical condition. Nowadays, the Telehealth includes remote, regular home-based monitoring via emails, the internet, phones, mobile app and a devoted computer terminal using telecommunication-ready gadget. This also involves services that are provided through medical organizations and other facilities, which regularly involves remote consultant and treatment by professionals.
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Telehealth Today
We can say that Telehealth is the practice of using digital information and communication technology, with the help of computers and mobile devices, to get an easy access to health facilities, and to control health care. It is something that you can use from home, or that your doctor can use to enhance or support health care.
Growing Demand
The demand of telehealth is growing at a tremendous rate because right now we can observe that there is shortage of physician in primary care as well as in many specialties (dermatology, mental health and neurology). Telemedicine can help to fill the gaps between supply and demand of doctors and can help in building care spots at home. Also, one of the major reasons for the growth of telehealth is its low fee for videoconferencing.
Improving the Patient/Physician Interaction
With telemedicine you can have real time interaction between patients and doctors. Also, one of the biggest advantages of telemedicine is that it is free from any time and distance barriers. A patient can get treatment anywhere and anytime without stepping out of the home.
Telehealth cuts down on hospital readmissions
Many patients make unnecessary and high cost trips to the emergency room or urgent care clinics to get the care they need, especially after an acute health issue. With increasing anxiety about COVID-19 symptoms, many people are looking for immediate care in-person, which increases their risk of exposure to something serious. Also, educating patients about telemedicine technology can help in reducing hospital readmissions costs.
Read Also: Benefits of Telehealth for Patient and Providers
Telehealth in Future
Both telehealth and telemedicine have proved themselves in providing tremendous benefits to both doctors and patients, and this is the reason why telehealth has become one of the most exciting evolutions of healthcare. The ability to perform remote patient visits and track their rehabilitation have increased access to quality care by reducing healthcare delivery obstacles such as distance, accessibility and time constraints.
Telehealth continues to grow globally at an accelerated rate. The market is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.9 per cent by 2025 as more hospitals and healthcare facilities are engaging in providing healthcare access online. Telehealth has the ability to reduce healthcare costs, increase patient outreach and health outcomes, and is working towards how providers treat their patients.
Telehealth can become more advanced by constantly investing in new technologies and services. Also it is helping physicians support their patients and respond to emerging health emergencies, including the coronavirus.
It is found that Telehealth has the ability to meet the demands of hospital care while reducing transmission of viruses, stretching human and technological resources and protecting patients and healthcare workers in the hospital environment.
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While this vision for the future of telehealth is one many startups are betting on, it depends largely on healthy infrastructure. And it is also true that in some of the least healthy parts of the country, accessible mobile and fixed-line broadband service is a real problem. Videoconferencing with a remote doctor requires a high quality steady signal. And some of the things that we’re going to ask for digital health to do in the future — like transmitting high-resolution medical imaging — may require quicker, commercial-grade connections.
Trends in Telehealth
The concept of telehealth is not new. The concept of telehealth can trace its history to the nineteenth century. But the concept is getting bigger in scope and size in today’s ever-evolving mobile telecoms landscape. Healthcare companies are using telehealth solutions or services more than ever before as it helps in saving cost savings at the same hand improving the quality of care.
Let’s discuss some latest trends in telehealth.
More services, wider reach
The current pandemic lead to the rapid adoption of telemedicine. Healthcare providers are exploring new ways to use telehealth to care for more complex medical conditions (such as diabetes), seniors over 65 years, and those who lack access to quality healthcare.
Maintaining and enforcing cyber security
With so many new digital devices coming online, the industry is becoming increasingly concerned with cyber security. Studies have showed that 87% of healthcare companies are expecting to increase their spending on cyber security in 2020. This will help in safeguarding sensitive health care information, tracking irregular activities, encrypting confidential documents, designing procedures for restoring lost data and restarting systems on the occurrence of a cyber-attack or outage.
Read Also: The complete Guide of Telemedicine
Hospital to home
To reduce readmission rates, healthcare providers are increasingly using telehealth to optimize patient transitions after discharge from a hospital stay. To ensure patients get the support and resources they need healthcare providers are collaborating with home health nurses, checking medication adherence and conducting timely follow-up appointment, caregivers providing virtual visits can all help providers better understand their patients’ recovery and know when a medication change or other intervention can get a patient back on track.
Last Words…
Dreamsoft4u Pvt. Ltd. is one of the best Telemedicine App Development Company in India. We are providing Healthcare IT Services all over the world especially in USA and South Africa. As we have more than 15 years of experience in the field, we are ready to join you as a Telemedicine Partner to assist you various kinds of Healthcare IT solutions such as:
• HIPAA Compliance Telemedicine Software
• HL7 Solutions
• Telemedicine App Development
• Telemedicine/Telehealth Integration
• EMR/EHR System Implementation
• Remote Health Monitoring System etc.
