Telehealth technology is evolving rapidly as healthcare professionals face unprecedented obstacles.
Advancements and adoptions of certain telehealth technologies have accelerated amid the constraints that have resulted from the coronavirus crisis. With telehealth professionals increasingly forced to work remotely and patients more frequently attending their appointments virtually, which technologies can help them bridge the gap?
1) Wearable devices
Fitness bands, smart watches, glucose meters and other wearables are useful for monitoring and managing conditions, and ultimately enable users to collect more data about their health. Collecting this information can enable doctors and patients to make more well-informed decisions. Only 16% of cardiology specialists use this technology, but more than a third of cardiology specialists expressed intent to adopt this technology by 2023, according to Kantar. Consumer interest in fitness bands has increased recently, and more companies are entering the wearables market.
2) VDI in the cloud
With more and more healthcare professionals working remotely, concerns predictably arise about how these healthcare professionals can access protected health information without violating HIPAA regulations. Virtual desktop infrastructure in the cloud enables healthcare professionals to securely and remotely access important patient information from their own personal devices, from anywhere around the globe, and all while maintaining the locked-down security that the cloud offers.
3) Virtual reality and augmented reality
VR and AR are transformative training tools that enable doctors to overlay information and images in the world they see, even in their own home. 40% of pulmonary disease specialists already use or are very likely to use this tech for training, and almost 75% of obstetrics/gynecology specialists expressed intent to adopt the technology by 2023, according to Kantar.
4) Portal technology
Physicians and patients can use portal technology to access medical records and interact online. Portal technology increases access, availability, and possibly even accuracy of medical information. It empowers patients to take a more active role in their own healthcare and be better educated about their care. Overall, this evolving technology increases the degree to which a patient can be an ally in their own care.
