Readopting A Futuristic Solution - Covid 19 Reintroduces Telehealth

During the significant lifestyle change due to the global pandemic, the Health IT sector manifested a new way to take care of citizens.

A couple of years ago, ‘Software on wheels’ was a concept too hard to believe, but Tesla pushed the envelope to the ‘then’ unthinkable, and the world was stunned. The case with Telehealth, however, is different. Even after being around for years now, it took us a pandemic to fully understand it’s potential.

What is Telehealth Technology?

Undoubtedly, COVID 19 is causing people to view an essential service like healthcare in a different light. The healthcare fraternities across the globe have been receiving shockwaves since the pandemic broke out. The scare of the virus coupled with a massive influx of patients and then unpredictable consumer behavior paved the way for the Telehealth boom. But, first, let us understand the meaning of telehealth.

Telehealth meaning, in layman's terms, the usage of remote technologies to deliver health education, health care, and health information. A few examples of telehealth services are mobile health care apps, live video conferencing, remote patient monitoring, etc. The words 'telehealth' and 'telemedicine' are interchangeably used. But, if compared telemedicine vs telehealth, telehealth encompasses broader aspects of digital healthcare activities.

Telehealth Services and Applications

Since technology is blanketing our lives, people want to leverage telehealth technology.

Telehealth Addresses Primary Care Physician:

Not all patients can manage to get admitted to a specialized hospital. For patients in a smaller and less-equipped hospital, telehealth allows them to access better and more extensive facilities at larger regional facilities. These days, telehealth and such healthcare IT consulting services are utilized to assist prisoners, rural communities, and remote urban areas in upgrading healthcare services.

Telehealth for Education and Training:

These days, various corporations supply healthcare education with the help of telehealth program—for example, Harvard's Safety, Quality, Informatics and Leadership (SQIL) program. SQIL provides required content and in-person training to build an IT medical education model.

Telehealth and Patient Engagement:

With the help of telehealth technologies, patients are engaging ever than before to take care of themselves. Be it healthcare apps, online healthcare communities, or educational videos; patients are trying to take care of their weight, physical activities, and other chronic conditions. Telehealth technologies also allow patients to book appointments, monitor their sleeping patterns, and a lot more.

Telehealth and Provider Communication:

There is a significant peak in the graph of digital and telecommunications platforms among telehealth providers. As with the help of telehealth technologies, the healthcare system is at ease now in sharing information and collaborating with the patients, PCPs are using more of it to consult with specialists and doctors.

Benefits and Potential Uses of Telehealth

The urgency of telehealth surplussed as healthcare providers needed to minimize the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is causing COVID-19. Telehealth services reduce the pressure by cutting down the surge of healthcare demand and aids in several areas.

A few of the benefits of telehealth services are:

Safeguarding healthcare providers and patients

The risk of spreading the coronavirus has urged telehealthcare technologies to come into the scenario. Due to the current situation, patients are willing to try telehealth applications. The usage of technology can not only protect medical personnel but also patients.

Enabling radiologists to work remotely

The global pandemic has shown a new path to radiologists in their working pattern. As most people are working from home using the digital medium of communication, it has allowed radiologists as well.

Telehealth in urban areas

Virtual healthcare has boosted the accessibility of clinical management. The medicare services have expanded outside rural areas to deliver mental health services and guide through health screening.

Conserve Space and supplies

The emergence of telehealth has reduced the call for supplies and hospital beds. The decline in the demand has also lowered the risk of patients spreading diseases.

Following up with patients

After a patient is released from a hospital, they get the facility to follow up with the doctors or nurses with the help of telehealth applications.

Special support

The pandemic has demanded to increase the telehealth services for critical areas like cardiology and psychiatry as well. This facility includes virtual screening, exercises related to mindfulness, consultations.

Bringing care to the citizens

The pandemic has shown the geographical reach of medical treatment. A dramatic shift to telehealth could improve medical access over marginalized communities and uplift the connectivity.

Additional medical assistance

For patients who may need medical assistance or consultation during a time like Covid-19 when hospital beds are scarce, telehealth serves as the purpose of rescue.

Telehealth and the Future of Healthcare

Telehealth has proved to be the top enabler for the SaMD – Software as a Medical Device, a software considered to be a major element in digital transformation in healthcare. It not only assists with diagnosis but also with the expedited treatment of the patients. Here’s a list of other reasons why Telehealth is the most preferred alternative for now and years to come:

A Cover For Front Runners

Even before the pandemic struck, the world was already facing a scarcity of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers. As the number of COVID cases rose with time, this gap became all the more evident. A report by ICN (International Council For Nurses) said that around 90,000 health workers have been reported sick with the virus with 260 nurses dead.

Thus, to minimize physical contact between healthcare professionals and patients, Telehealth emerged as the right tool. A report by McKinsey reveals that as compared to 11% of patients in the US utilizing telehealth services in 2019, 46% of the population has switched to distant care during the COVID outbreak.

One Shot Solution to Reduce Operational Cost

With digital health and at-home care taking the precedence over physical visits, the healthcare world is gradually gravitating towards a more marginalized cost structure. Telehealth is actually helping patients move their way past ‘Emergencies’ and OPDs, thereby, landing them on the hospital beds directly. Moving the entire admission procedure to virtual reduces in-person efforts and operational costs.

Also, it allows fractional employment for healthcare services. Through remote analysis services like telepathology and teleradiology, trained professionals can be employed as pooled in resources. Storing and forwarding facilities in Telehealth ensures that digital photographic records are shared with concerned departments.

Best Access Support For Senior Groups

The COVID graph exhibited the worst scenarios for the aged and senior communities. It was only rational that the American Association of Retired Persons laid out specifics for virtual care on their portals by March 2020. The association identified that bracing the elderly for virtual care came with its own set of challenges due to lack of digitization.

With remote monitoring of out-patients in place, connected care for senior groups ensure round-the-clock assistance of patients through mobile apps that facilitate maintaining their history of illness, drug allergy reports, photographic records, medical bills, and even insurance claims.

Ruling In Favour Of Marginalised Groups

The American Journal Of Managed Care says that marginalized groups often had limited access to healthcare due to geographical distances, economic conditions, and racial discrimination. A shift to telehealth would help refocus the attention of healthcare services towards marginalized groups.

The modern guidelines under the pandemic response framework ensure a better reach for healthcare facilities, even to remote locations, at a reduced cost.

Role of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak

The emergence of COVID-19 caused a global health emergency. In a situation like this, telehealth has acted as a smart tool to fight the unfortunate outbreak. The Healthcare software development team has aimed for a systematic review to identify the primary role of telehealth.

The review was controlled through five databases - PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Published on December 31, 2019, the study included all aspects of telehealth services, clearly showcasing how telehealth works.

The Quality computation was judged on the basis of Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP). Out of 142 search results, 8 students met the inclusion. Potential COVID-19 victims and assured patients who are isolating themselves are certainly right to use telehealth to minimize the risk of spreading the virus.

In Summation

The usage of telehealth services can aid the provision of healthcare services. Hence, considering the same as an essential service provider tool, telehealth can keep both the medical personnel and patients safe during the period of Covid-19 and in the future.