What is telehealth technology?
Telehealth which is also known as telemedicine includes a series of health-related IT technologies(“HealthIT”) that are specifically used to provide health education, clinical care, or information remotely. This includes both hardware and software.
Telehealth technologies are on the rise. According to a recent report by Research and Markets, telehealth will become the mainstream option for accessing health care services.
Benefits of telehealth technology to providers
- Telehealth has increased hospitals’ geographic reach.
- Telehealth is more efficient.
- Telehealth providers better patient monitoring.
- Telehealth provides Improved patient satisfaction.
Benefits of telehealth technology to patients
According to Digital Authority Partners, more patients are seeking out healthcare service providers that have incorporated telehealth technology into their practice. This isn’t surprising considering the many benefits of telehealth technology to patients.
- Less travel time and lower costs.
- Reduced exposure to contagious illnesses.
- Less time off work.
- It’s easier to manage ongoing conditions.
Types of telehealth solutions
- Remote patient monitoring technologies.
- Real-time communication technology.
- Store and forward.
Practical examples of telemedicine transforming healthcare
Remote monitoring of patients: The ability to monitor patients remotely ensures that medical conditions are identified early. This has been shown to greatly improve stroke treatments.
Better care for patients: Patients are monitored by more people.
Empowering patients: This is especially effective for the management of long-term chronic health conditions like hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Patients can be reminded to take blood pressure medications, attend appointments and refill prescriptions.
These are some of the innovative ways how technology can help rehumanise healthcare.
Source: The rise of telehealth technologies
An original rehumanise.net thought leadership paper on unlocking innovation with software is available as a free read here.
