Future of telemedicine

Imagine it’s a snowy night, and you have a runny nose and a headache. Instead of trekking to urgent care, you contact a telemedicine platform on your smartphone. A few minutes later, a provider helps you evaluate your symptoms and decide on a treatment plan. You get the care you need without leaving your cozy living room.

Telemedicine is a relatively young technology, with a long way yet to go. The industry has barely tipped the iceberg of its potential. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the once nice-to-have healthcare solution into a must-have service. What innovation awaits?

Embracing the Internet of Things (IoT)

One day, your smartwatch will do more than count your steps. Internet of Things (IoT) devices will send your health statistics to a provider for assessment via a telemedicine solution in real time. Wearable gadgets can now pick up data like blood pressure, heart rate, and glucose.

However, with more access to remote monitoring, your provider can deliver patient care more easily. The second something is off, you and your provider will know about it before it becomes an emergency. Any chronic conditions or negative trends will be identified sooner, so care providers and patients can take immediate action. This is a new day for proactive care.

Artificial Intelligence: The New Doctor’s Assistant

AI has an unlimited number of uses in telemedicine. It can analyze large numbers of data to identify patterns and even diagnose medical conditions quickly. For instance, AI can analyze an X-ray or CT scan, reducing errors that would be made by a human. Artificial intelligence chatbots allow patients to ask questions and provide them with recommendations of where to get help.

Virtual Reality: A New Dimension in Treatment

Gone are the days when VR was only for playing video games. Virtual reality devices can offer many good options for patients. For example, it may help treat phobias; virtual reality therapy helps people recover by facing their fears in a controlled virtual environment. It can also provide remote consultations between care providers and patients as if they were in the same room. Providers can even perform “exams,” ultimately raising the standard of care.

The Role of Blockchain in Telemedicine

Healthcare is all about security. Enter blockchain technology. The secure, decentralized way to store and share patient information ensures patient privacy is maintained and unauthorized parties cannot access the data. Blockchain also allows the verification of medical records so that providers can access the correct records promptly.

Telemedicine for Mental Health

Healthcare companies around the world are beginning to understand the digital frontier and its capabilities. Recently, the remote health monitoring market has exploded. The telemedicine market for mental health has taken off; AI is much talked about but still nascent, albeit with a lot of potential; Blockchain — the most hyped technology in software history — has some application. Telehealth sticks out, has much potential, and will be the gateway to “The Future of Healthcare.”

The Global Impact

Today, telemedicine is going beyond urban areas to bring healthcare to remote and underserved areas. It is far more convenient for patients and saves them money. With telemedicine, one can visit the doctor from wherever they are and at any hour of the day. It’s a digital revolution—a new age house call.

Personalized Medicine

Tele-mental health allows patients to speak to providers through video conferencing, use an app, and attend a virtual support group. Technology helps boost accessibility and efficiency, and the service a patient receives will be personalized.

The caveat is to realize this vision of telemedicine, we need to be aware of the new tech, open ourselves to it, and do our best to punch through to the other side. When we receive care through any telemedicine platform, we have reached the future of healthcare. So when you are feeling unwell next time, remember, “The future of healthcare is just a click away.”

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