Medical Care Can Be Valuable: Why Healthcare Needs Telemedicine Technology?

Technology has enabled medical care to easily find a niche online. With platforms like the Telemedicine app, there is ease in conducting medical services that were not available before. Thanks to COVID, the masses have opened up to the possibility of digital healthcare services exponentially, thus making apparent its benefits. Let us take a detailed look at telemedicine and how it reshapes how we perceive medical care.

What is Telemedicine App Development?

Telemedicine, simply put, is the platform where a medical health care provider is connected to their patient via technology. It has been around since there were advanced means of communication. What started as medical advice via the radio evolved in time to become the full-fledged service portals we now know as telemedicine. Today’s technology has enabled a holistic approach to providing medical services. Its benefits are immense, and it is enjoyed by both the patient and the healthcare provider.

Despite its benefits, telemedicine did not enjoy the acceptance it has today as it did before the COVID pandemic. According to McKinsey.com, the onset of COVID saw a spike in telemedicine usage as high as 32%, which quickly stabilized to be at a rate that is 38 times higher than the pre-COVID period.

How is Telemedicine Used?

The telemedicine app offers a plethora of opportunities for medical staff as well as patients. For patients, the obvious advantage of telemedicine is medical help would be available even if it is remote. This allows a patient to save the resources used to reach the medical facility, and it gives the patient the option of discretion. Medicines could be prescribed online, and medicines can reach one’s home even by simply opting for delivery.

For medical care providers, telemedicine provides access to chronically ill or critically ill patients from their homes, access to more patients from remote areas, lower exposure to pathogens, consultation from home, etc.
Hospitals and clinics are increasingly adopting telemedicine technology and strategies to include virtual medical care in their services. The immense benefits it provides to the medical care facility regarding business cannot be ignored.

Let us now look at the benefits of telemedicine and what makes it an indispensable aspect of modern medicine.

The Benefits of Telemedicine

Low Cost

One of the biggest advantages of telemedicine is that it allows the patient to consult the doctor without spending the money and time to travel to the healthcare center. The patient will only have to remit the consultation charges.

Data Management Tools

Telemedicine app allows medical care providers and patients to update their data on a single platform. Medical facilities can store this data to maintain a comprehensive medical history of the patient. This will help provide treatment strategies and analytical insights from large amounts of data.

Remote Access

This is a matter of both access and comfort. Patients who do not have easy access to medical facilities as they live in remote areas can avail of telemedicine to meet their medical consultations. In other cases, patients might prefer the comfort of their homes to meeting the doctor online. This would give them the privacy a public place might not offer.

Access to Specialist Doctors

A patient seeking a specialist doctor may have to travel great distances to meet them. Since specialist doctors, especially those specializing in rare fields, are hard to come by. It can also be difficult to get appointments with them. With a doctor appointment booking app, all of it gets easier. Be it the distance, scheduling an appointment, or the cost of travel.

No More Queues

Another outstanding advantage of telemedicine is the dreaded wait in the waiting room. It is daunting enough to drag oneself out to meet a doctor but to wait in line till one’s turn can prove a little too much for a patient. With telemedicine, there is no need to wait in line and bear the discomfort. With telemedicine, one has to meet the doctor at the appointed time online, without the wait and queue.

Safety from Infectious Pathogens

This is another obvious benefit for both the doctor and the patient. Patients can save themselves from being in crowded rooms with many other sick patients, and the doctor need not meet every infected patient. This way, a lot of unnecessary exposure and risk can be minimized.

Scheduling Appointments and Follow Ups.

With telemedicine apps, making an appointment with a doctor is easy. One simply has to find the doctor, check their availability and make a booking. Telemedicine also enables easy follow-up for patients as they can talk to their doctor via video or call to give updates.

Flexibility

Working individuals and students need not take days off to consult a doctor. With telehealth facilities, they can simply schedule an appointment according to their convenience. This flexibility benefits the doctor too. Scheduling appointments via telemedicine allows the doctor to easily book and cancel appointments and even provide extended service hours.

Emergency Services

A significant benefit of telehealth is access to quality healthcare in cases of emergency. If a patient can access emergency doctors in the middle of the night or from a remote area for an emergency, they can provide valuable medical help to avoid bigger problems.

Overall Better Health

The biggest benefit and outcome of telemedicine is that it provides access to overall better health. When a person has access to quality healthcare services at any given time, with proper follow-up, at affordable rates, the chances of being healthy are higher.

Conclusion

The benefits of telemedicine are immense. It is no wonder that healthcare IT services are increasingly being adopted by hospitals and clinics. Be it a facility of any size, there is a telemedicine application that is built to suit its needs. Telemedicine apps may be custom-made for healthcare facilities with unique features that cater to the facility’s specific needs. It may also be generic and readymade software solutions that can cater to broad categories of healthcare facilities. Choosing one according to one’s needs and budget is what matters.

Also, check out The Seven Challenges of Telemental Health and How to Overcome Them.

However, the harder part is choosing the company for your telemedicine app development when they are available a dime a dozen, it is safe to stick to the well-established names in the industry. EMed HealthTech is a leading provider of healthcare IT solutions and services to leading healthcare facilities worldwide. With almost a decade of experience, we have a team of seasoned designers and developers who create applications that are a perfect fit for you. Reach out to EMed HealthTech today to get a free estimate for Telemedicine app!

Posted by

Ami Kothari