The healthcare industry has well and truly entered a digital revolution, where innovative technologies are taking over the market and transforming the way ordinary procedures are carried out.
In fact, the use of technology has allowed us to make many medical tests remote, like radiotherapy, making it easier for patients to access services from remote locations, where they feel more comfortable than they would in a hospital room.
None of this would be possible, however, without one of the most impressive pieces of technology to come out of the medical field in the last few years; telemedicine.
This is a term used to explain the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients via platforms like the web, and mobile platforms. Essentially, it allows patients to seek healthcare services from anywhere, as long as they have mobile and internet access.
As with any market, especially in the healthcare industry, there are several telemedicine trends that give us an indication of how this technology will continue to transform this industry going forwards. We’re here to share just a few of them today.
On Demand Healthcare
While traditional medical settings may have been sufficient for most a decade about, people have become far more mobile now, and it’s about time that healthcare reflected this.
One way that many companies have chose to do this is through the use of telemedicine services. More specifically, on demand healthcare services.
These perform a variety of functions; some will allow you to monitor your condition, while others will connect you digitally with a licenced physician.
When you consider that 77% of people go online to book medical appointments as reported by Digital Authority Partners, this is a great move in the right direction.
This trend proves that telemedicine could be the healthcare revolution we need to help healthcare providers listen to their target audience, and become better at acting on what matters to them the most.
Wearable Medical Devices
Wearable medical devices have made it easier than ever for patients to record, and monitor their health.
Even people without health conditions use these wearable medical devices to track things like sleep, their heart rate, and the amount of calories they burn every day.
In fact, this technology is so advanced that people can even access it in a basic format from their smartphones. Although smartphones records aren’t the most reliable, they can be used to give an indication that something isn’t quite right, prompting someone to seek further medical advice.
The real promise behind wearable medical devices, however, comes with their ability to monitor high-risk patients remotely.
This means that patients who suffers with conditions like heart disease and diabetes can be monitored, and provided with intervention before a catastrophic event occurs.
Not only will this save the patient and the hospital money, but it also prevents the need for invasive surgeries and treatments that could come with recovery times that significantly reduce an individual’s quality of life.
Patient-Centered Outcomes
Many traditional medical establishments are turning towards telemedicine technologies to improve the quality of patient care, with one study reporting that half of executives ranked improving the quality of care as their top reason for implementing telemedicine.
This trend is extremely promising as it shows that medical practitioners are willing to use technology to make patients their priority, instead of profits, like is currently the case in many big healthcare companies.
This will also make patients feel valued, which in turn makes them more likely to follow the treatment plan that has been devised for them to control, improve or cure their medical condition. According to Healthcare Weekly, even Walgreens has jumped into the game by investing in telemedicine last year.
It seems to be working, too, with 67% of patients saying that telemedicine somewhat or significantly increases their satisfaction with medical care.
Summary
Despite an initial hesitance from big companies to introduce innovative telemedicine technology into the healthcare industry, trends have shown that the benefits are difficult to ignore. Looking to experiment with any of these telemedicine trends? Check out this list of consulting firms in Chicago who can help you out in your quest to build and deploy a telemedicine solution.
The trends that we have outlined above show a clear shift with healthcare companies, from big companies who care more about profits than patients to a focus on smaller, startup companies willing to focus their energy on improving better patient outcomes.
It has also been shown that telemedicine has transformed the way the healthcare industry responds to its target audience, providing them with digitized products that make managing health more convenient and easier to keep up with.
With an approximated 130 million devices flooding the market in 2018 alone, it’s reasonable to suggest that we are only beginning to see the true promise behind telemedicine technology, and we can’t wait to see what the future brings!
This is a guest post from J G Billing