The COVID-19 pandemic, made the world quickly adapt to new technological advances, and the rate of this technological change influenced every industry, and the healthcare industry was no exception as this led to the rise in telehealth services, medical apps, and platforms.

Hospitals and clinics in many parts of the world had to switch to videoconferencing for appointments to discuss diagnosis and treatment options with patients for non-critical cases.

Here are the eight ways the digital world is influencing Telemedicine trends

Telehealth Assistance

Telehealth allows underserved patients to get the help they needed via telephone or webcams. In the pre-pandemic era, these services had major restrictions that did not allow them to be widely used.

But due to COVID-19, telehealth services became an essential part of the healthcare industry. Now, you have access to a variety of medical apps and websites that can help you make an online appointment and receive a consultation without ever leaving your home.

Apps for Employee Wellness

Employers are increasingly recognizing that wellness apps could be helpful for their employees. Company initiatives like corporate wellness retreats, workplace yoga, and team-building events have been around for decades, although the employer-provided wellness app is a relatively new concept it can lead to increased job satisfaction, reduce overall health costs for providers and patients, with personalized healthcare people can have more control over their health. Also, users can share health data with their providers.

Mobile Health

Commonly referred to as mHealth, Mobile Health is one of the most exciting new trends in telemedicine. The possibility of widely distributing medical information to individuals (both practitioners and patients) using mobile technology is extremely promising.

The possibilities are vast and encouraging, even though a thorough understanding of how these programs should work, and be paid for is still years away. The continuing growth of wireless communications technology will doubtless help bring mHealth initiatives to maturity in the years to come.

Behavioural and Population Health

There has been an increased openness to behavioural health and stress management and less stigma attached to admitting that you need help. Population health is no longer an obscure initiative but a genuine concern. There is a factual focus on an evolving mission at the health system level to be healthcare leaders in their communities, making this one of the most critical healthcare industry trends.

Data Sharing

Wearable devices have spiked a profound interest in the health data they collect. In 2020, Deloitte conducted a consumer survey where the majority of consumers claimed they are ready to share their medical data to enhance their health. 

Besides improving their health, the data gathered from wearable devices can help improve the health of the entire population and enhance clinical research and diagnosis in general.

Virtual and Augmented Reality 

VR can help with surgical training and planning, enabling both surgeons and patients to get more comfortable with procedures. There are also many reports about the efficacy of VR in helping with chronic pain management and mental health.

Blockchain Health Records

A blockchain is a database of transactions that can assist in keeping and storing electronic health records.

Blockchain has already proved to be an effective instrument for improving accuracy and stopping data violations, it has solved the problem of fragmented medical records that used to lead to misdiagnosis and even death.

Bio-Printing

Bioprinting is a method of creating 3D-printed human organs. It works similarly to creating a standard 3D-printed object, but in this case, its prints organs. Bioprinting has been around for quite some time, but its development has stalled due to the risks involved.

Healthcare technology will continue to improve to deliver more effective and efficient tools that can keep us alive, this will give surgeons, nurses, and other medical workers more opportunities to focus on things that technology cannot replace care.

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