Have you ever dialed your family doctor at midnight for help? If you say yes, you’ve already used a basic version of telehealth. However, today, under the internet and smartphone revolution, we have healthcare app solution to make telehealth extremely thriving, efficient, and life-saving.
Telehealth has been the hot potato in the healthcare industry for quite a while. It has both feverish and concerned healthcare experts equally. While some fear telehealth threatens the patient-physician relationship, others believe it will make healthcare more affordable and accessible.
| In this blog, we will answer the most common questions people want to know about telehealth. We will also talk about its impact on the healthcare industry. |
What Exactly is Telehealth?
Telehealth is the use of technology, such as video conferencing, phone calls, and remote monitoring, to provide healthcare services remotely. It allows patients to receive medical care from the comfort of their own homes without the need to physically visit a healthcare facility.
This can include consultations, diagnoses, treatments, and follow-up care. It can also include remote monitoring of a patient's vital signs and other health information.
Healthcare Software Development apps make it possible to view these data in real time and ensure that they are as accurate as possible.
Look at the Statistics of Telehealth Services Growth
History of Telehealth
Telehealth, also known as telemedicine, is the use of technology to deliver healthcare remotely. The concept of telehealth can be traced back to the late 1800s when the telegraph and telephone were first used to connect doctors and patients. However, it was not until the 20th century that telehealth began to gain traction as a viable method of healthcare delivery.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the development of new technologies such as videoconferencing and remote monitoring devices began to make telehealth a more practical option. In the 1970s and 1980s, the advent of personal computers and the internet further advanced the capabilities of telehealth, allowing for the electronic transmission of medical data and images.
The 1990s and 2000s saw a significant increase in the use of telehealth, with the development of new technologies such as mobile devices and cloud computing. This allowed for the delivery of the best telehealth services to a wider range of patients, including those in rural and remote areas. In the 2010s, telehealth experienced a surge in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the importance of remote healthcare delivery.
Telehealth Today
Telehealth has seen significant growth in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to market research, the telehealth market is projected to reach USD 475.50 Billion by 2026. After observing telehealth benefits, a large number of clinicians have integrated telehealth into their practices, with 85% of clinicians utilizing it.
The growing number of smartphone users and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases are driving factors for the growth of telehealth. Additionally, 48% of healthcare specialists prefer telehealth as a method of providing care.
Telehealth vs Telemedicine
Telemedicine and telehealth, often mistaken as one and the same, are in fact, two distinct concepts. "Tele" meaning "at a distance" brings us to the revolutionary world of telehealthcare or telehealth. Telehealth, a broader term than telemedicine, encompasses a vast array of remote healthcare services, bringing healthcare right to your doorstep.
Different Types of Telehealth
● Synchronous — The patient communicates with a doctor in real time, normally over the phone or via video.
● Asynchronous — Also denoted as “store-and-forward”. In this, there is no live interaction between providers and patients. Patient detail is sent (mailed) and then stored until it is examined by the provider.
● Remote patient monitoring — In this, patients and providers use digital technologies to gather and monitor medical and other health information from patients and then transfer this data electronically to healthcare providers for further evaluation.
What Services Does Telehealth Provide?
To get a clearer picture of telemedicine and the potential it offers, it is essential to understand some of the services that it brings to the table and also the methods that it uses.
Here are the Three Main Services That it Provides:
1. Patient Monitoring At Remote Locations
Patient monitoring at remote locations is done using handy and compact devices that collect and send patient data remotely to the health agency or a relevant diagnostic testing facility.
The collected data generally includes vitals such as ECG results, blood glucose levels, and other lipid results. Using this information, the telemedicine industry supplements the necessity of health care professionals at your doorstep or a hospital.
2. Peer-to-peer Support
Information related to the health of patients usually includes the use of wireless devices connected via the internet. These devices allow consumers to access important health-related information and also enable them to join support groups for peer-to-peer discussions.
3. Access to Medical Education
Healthcare professionals can choose to continue their medical education credits as specialized, and modern medical education is much more accessible to people at all locations than it has ever been before.
Although telemedicine has several factors that contribute to its popularity, here are the four main factors that have fueled its usage over the last couple of years.
1. Improvised Access To Healthcare Services
For over 5 decades, telemedicine has successfully enabled access to healthcare for patients in remote locations. Additionally, it has also allowed healthcare service providers to reach out to offices beyond their close-knit circle. There is a dire shortage in the availability of sufficient healthcare providers. However, telemedicine has managed to bridge the gap between healthcare service seekers and healthcare service providers.
2. Affordability Of Healthcare Services
One of the reasons why telemedicine became an increasingly obvious choice for patients is its affordability. Given its efficiency, reduced time for travel, and shortened stay of patients in hospitals, telemedicine is able to reduce healthcare costs. That makes it affordable as compared to conventional methods of healthcare practices.
3. Improved Quality Of Healthcare And Related Services
Several studies have shown that there has been an improvement in the quality of healthcare services due to the usage of telemedicine. They are as good as services provided to patients during an in-person consultation. Some healthcare services like intensive care for mental well-being and mental health have shown that telemedicine has outperformed traditional medical services.
4. Increase In Demand For Patients
Because telemedicine eliminates travel time, it significantly reduces the stress on patients. Several studies have shown that in the last couple of years, there has been an increased level of patient satisfaction which has led to increased support for the best telemedicine services.
Telemedicine Software Solutions
As discussed, telemedicine involves fewer or negligible face-to-face consultations. It is accessible to patients on their electronic gadgets such as smartphones and computers that have access to the internet.
However, that alone does not suffice. There needs to be a software solution that can make this possible. Healthcare Technology Solutions such as video calls, and virtual clinics have risen in popularity. In this section of the article, we will discuss the popular software choices for healthcare providers in the telemedicine industry.
Some examples of telehealth software solutions include
- Video Conferencing Software: This allows for real-time, face-to-face consultations between patients and healthcare providers. This can be used for both diagnosis and treatment and can include features such as screen sharing and virtual whiteboards.
- Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Software: This allows for the continuous monitoring of a patient's vital signs, such as heart rate and blood pressure, from a remote location. This can be used to track a patient's progress and provide early warning of any potential health issues.
- Electronic Health Records (EHR) Software: This allows for the digital storage and sharing of patient health information, such as medical history and test results. This can be used to ensure that healthcare providers have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about a patient's care.
- Telemedicine Carts: This is a mobile cart with a computer, monitor, and camera, that can be wheeled to the patient's bedside and used to conduct virtual consultations.
- Mobile Health (mHealth) Apps: These are mobile applications that can be downloaded onto a patient's smartphone or tablet. They can then use it to access health information, track symptoms, and communicate with healthcare providers.
Let's take a look at how Narola Infotech helped these healthcare startups with their app/website. The end result helped them increase their profit by 20%.
Telehealth: The Driving Force Behind Healthcare App Development
Telehealth relies majorly on a good internet connection and software solutions. That includes apps that can enable patients to connect with their healthcare service providers remotely.
Custom healthcare software development companies specializing in healthcare apps have seen a greater rise in demand. Given the rapidly growing usage of telemedicine practices, there has been an increased need for customized healthcare app solutions. Many have turned out to be game changers for the healthcare mobile app development industry.
Role of Narola Infotech
We believe that if you are a medical practitioner or owner of a healthcare service-providing agency looking to provide telemedicine/telehealth services, you must have understood the know-how of the telemedicine industry.
However, you may want an expert solution when it comes to healthcare software development services.
Narola Infotech is a telehealth app development company in USA. Healthcare Software Development is one of our major areas of expertise. We are committed to providing top-notch solutions, especially for emerging healthcare industry solutions like telemedicine.
As we already know that telemedicine is not a new trend but an emerging one. Our bench of experts has been some of the first key practitioners of telemedicine healthcare app development. Our healthcare app developers are highly skilled and certified and specialize in all kinds of healthcare development the healthcare industry might have possibly seen.