Leveraging Remote Patient Monitoring and Telehealth to Deliver Quality Care
In recent years, the status of technology in healthcare has evolved from being luxurious to becoming a necessity. With the important and extremely delicate role of saving lives that hospitals play, adopting new technologies may be the difference between a life saved and one that’s lost.
The role of technology in health care includes but is not limited to:
- Enables the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR)
- Improves patient care
- Reduces healthcare costs
- Eases workflow challenges
- Boosts public health
One technology that has caused major ripples with the health sector in past few years is telemedicine. As of 2019, the global market for telemedicine was valued at $ 45 billion. However, with increased adoption of the technology, the sector is projected to be worth $ 175 billion by 2026.
In this article, I will take you through what exactly telemedicine is, what it entails, and how COVID-19 has impacted it.
What Is Telemedicine?
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services, telehealth can be defined as the use of telecommunications technologies and electronic information to support and facilitate:
- Long-distance clinical health care
- The education of both patients and professionals in regards to health-related matters
- Public health and health administration
Some of the technologies that enable remote patient healthcare include videoconferencing, streaming platforms, store-and-forward imaging, and terrestrial and wireless communications.
Impact of COVID-19 on Telemedicine
Due to the highly transmissible nature of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, millions have people have been infected since it was declared a global pandemic by the world Health Organization (WHO). As a result, hospitals and other health facilities quickly became overwhelmed, which in turn increased the risk of spreading the disease due to overcrowding.
To curb such risks, health facilities have been forced to turn to telemedicine regardless of their prior preparations for the technology. With telemedicine, only patients with conditions that require in-hospital assessments visit health centers.
In addition, remote patient monitoring has proven to be an invaluable asset in the fight against COVID-19. Though most patients are asymptomatic, there are those who display severe symptoms. During recovery, these symptoms may arise after patients are discharged. This makes it challenging to determine whether they can still spread the virus.
Remote patient monitoring relies on tools that track and transmit a patient’s vital signs. This gives healthcare providers real-time information on their state of health. As such, they are able to take the necessary steps to protect patients and those around them.
COVID-19 – The Catalyst for Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
Though the use of telemedicine has been increasing in recent years, COVID-19 has cause a surge in its uptake. Telehealth offers a wider range of benefits to both health care providers and patients such as enabling service delivery when face to face sessions are not possible.
As patients and providers continue to embrace and enjoy the convenience of telehealth, signs indicate that the technology will play an even greater role in coming years.
How Remote Patient Monitoring and Telehealth Improve Service Delivery in Healthcare
The health sector plays a vital role in society. Any inadequacies or delays in service delivery can have adverse effects in the recovery of patients. Unfortunately, delays in service delivery among other issues have been rife within the sector. However, by adopting new technologies health facilities can address such challenges and improve service delivery.
Here’s how RMP and Telehealth benefit Healthcare:
1. Increases Access to Health Services
One of the main challenges in the health sector is the limited number of clinicians in hospitals. As such, hospital waiting rooms are always full of patients waiting to get attended to. By setting up medical call centers, hospitals can attend to some patients remotely, thus reducing congestion in waiting rooms.
There is also a group of individuals who reside in rural areas that are outside the health delivery system. In case there is a medical emergency, it is possible to coordinate with specialists in other regions to ensure patients receive quality care.
2. Opens up a New Revenue Stream
Not many people, if any, enjoy hospital visits. As a result, people often seek medical attention when there is no other option. However, with the convenience of telemedicine, such patients will feel more comfortable to seek professional counsel.
Though such virtual consultations are shorter than in-hospital visits, physicians charge for the time and service thus adding another stream of income.
3. Helps Improve the Level of Patient Satisfaction
Today, consumers look up the reviews of service providers online before reaching out. This is also applies for health services. As such, it is crucial that your facility has positive reviews that will attract new patients.
Telemedicine helps improve patient satisfaction scores in two ways. By offering such services, you make it convenient for your patients to receive medical attentions. This, in turn, reduces the number of in-hospital visits thus ensuring that waiting periods are reduced.
In study conducted by Harvard Medical School, it was found that visits to the doctor take up approximately two hours of a patients’ time. However, only 20 minutes of that time is spent with a physician.
Regulatory Challenges Going Forward
Telemedicine will undoubtedly become an invaluable resource for medical service delivery in future. Though it has been used for international procedures, it does not necessarily fit into the traditional regulations for the medical profession.
As such, there are questions as to how cross-border services will be regulated and whether practitioners can receive patient data from foreign jurisdictions.
The Success of Telemedicine Hinges on the Willingness of Patients to Adopt New Technology
The benefits of telemedicine are undeniable. However, there are pertinent questions as to how sustainable it is. This is because, for a facility of offer comprehensive telehealth services, there needs to be substantial investments. As such, for telemedicine to provide value in the long run, patients must be willing to have their medical issues addressed remotely.
Fortunately, telemedicine offers patients a lot of enticing benefits, which will aid its success.