5 Indicators Influencing Telemedicine Future in the Healthcare Sector
Telemedicine is the process of providing care to patients over a long distance. Its use can be traced back to 500 BCE when human messengers have been used to transmit medical advice and medicine. Smoke signals and reflectivity were used to communicate medical information such as plague outbreaks and births and deaths. Over the centuries, medical information sharing and telemedicine have advanced thanks to advancements such as the printing press, telegraph, telephone, and Internet. Healthcare providers can now use technology to deliver healthcare directly to patients in their homes via "live chats" and video calling.
Incorporating strong and vigilant IT departments to oversee security and collaborating with doctor's offices, remote monitoring providers, and patients to encourage participation and widespread adoption are some of the ways the telehealth industry is addressing challenges to make telehealth more accessible and secure.
How Telemedicine is Becoming the Future of Healthcare?
Over the last few years, the telemedicine market in the healthcare industry has grown significantly. Healthcare professionals can virtually evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients by utilizing telecommunications. Over the last decade, the telemedicine approach has evolved to the point where it is now the most important component of the American healthcare infrastructure. According to Statista, North America has the world's largest telemedicine market, which is expected to reach $35 billion by 2025.
- The ‘Digital-First' Approach
Traditionally, the healthcare industry seems to be a little slow to adapt to the digital way things are done. However, as a result of the covid crisis, the demands on the healthcare ecosystem have increased. This has resulted in an increase in telehealth investments.
Prior to the coronavirus, Everest Group predicted that healthcare providers would increase their spending on digital IT services by more than 15% by 2025. The firm's stance has now slightly shifted to investment and shorter time frames.
- The Adoption of mhealth
mHealth is a new frontier for well-being that is enabled by mobile technologies. In a nutshell, it is a specific method of utilizing mobile technologies to deliver improved health goals. The global mHealth market was valued at USD 40.7 billion in 2019 – a figure that is expected to rise over time.
Don't you want a piece of this revenue? The growing trend of preventive healthcare measures, as well as an increase in funding or investments for mHealth start-ups, drive market growth.
- Artificial Intelligence: Care Standard
Throughout critical junctures, AI-powered technology is used to provide automated interactions with patients. When integrated with medical information such as symptoms, medications, treatments, doctors, and conditions, these AI-based healthcare chatbots can be a time saver. Not only that, but AI applications can speed up and improve the accuracy of the diagnosis process.
- Technological Shifts
Many technologies are influencing the life of telemedicine trends in healthcare. The most important technology is 5G. It will enable faster network speeds, with the potential to radically change the telemedicine ecosystem. This robust network will be critical for delivering medical images, remote patient monitoring, virtual meetings, and other applications. Real-time technology can also be used to determine the availability of equipment, medications, and a variety of other healthcare needs. Other technologies, such as the internet of medical things, blockchain, and cloud computing, are transforming the telehealth industry.
- Remote Medical Services
Telemedicine technology's future has no bounds! Many healthcare organizations are considering outsourcing their specialty through telemedicine. Vendors are in high demand in fields such as psychiatry, dermatology, neurology, and mental health. As a result, the market will be rapidly expanding and competitive.
Conclusion
COVID-19's impact has catapulted the world's healthcare delivery systems into a new era of advancement centered on telemedicine. Providers stepped up to the challenge of providing care in a time of social isolation, demonstrating that telemedicine is a viable alternative to seeing every single patient in the clinic. While telemedicine cannot yet be used for all healthcare needs and cannot fully replace an in-person physical exam. Rapid technological advances have the potential to make telemedicine a sustainable method of healthcare delivery, particularly for patients who face barriers to care. Regardless of the specific challenges that telemedicine will face, the future is virtual.