The telemedicine industry is widely growing, and quickly. As technology advances and we move into the future, different networks are able to use centralised models where it’s possible to gather information from many areas at the same time, and feed this information into a central facility.
There are different trends which are advancing at an amazing pace within the industry, ripe for investment for a fruitful future in the world of medicine. Here we explain how to stay ahead of the curve.
In the following article we’ll explain the most important systems for your company to stay ahead:
Teleradiology
At its start, telemedicine was used to send x-rays from one place to another paving the way for the industry. Today, teleradiology has become more than that due to the continuous advances in technology and is a standard in most modern hospitals throughout the world.
This technology permits radiologists to read medical images without being present where the images where first generated. Aside from hospitals, it has also become a common practice in urgent care, giving way to private mobile imaging businesses.
Mental Health Practices
Mental health practices have seen a huge change thanks to the use of telemedicine:
- A published study based in Europe from the World Health Organisation (WHO) states that around 70% of healthcare providers in the Scandinavian countries use telemedicine for mental health practices; Sweden and Finland are two of the top mental care practice countries in the world.
The same publishing states that Spain has also introduced telemedicine based mental health of up to 53%, permitting great improvements for this type of care across the country.
Bluetooth Pillboxes
The most notable advancement in telemedicine definitely comes from the Bluetooth pillboxes:
- It allows patients to have access to their medical history and information by typing just a few keys.
- It widely improves adherence to medication.
- Patients are able to even save money because they can self-check-up from a remote location.
A study published by the Circulation Journal reports the increase in both comfort and convenient use with Bluetooth Pillboxes.
The Store and Forward Method
This technique allows to send information to a middleman location where it is safely stored. Afterwards, it can be sent to either its final location or to another middleman station. The whole process ensures the safety and integrity of any message before resending it:
- It is widely used for networks with not-so-great connectivity, such as places which can be difficult to reach physically or need high use of mobility.
- It’s also used in situations which have big delays for transmitting a message or have fluctuating connectivity with a high risk for errors.
- Conveniently, it’s perfect for when a a direct, end-to-end connection is not possible.
One of its biggest advantages is that a physician can monitor vital signs without being present, wherever the information is coming from.
Remote Patient Monitoring
The use of digital technology to monitor the health of patients permits to electronically send information to their corresponding healthcare providers for assessment. Being able even to give recommendations to a given patient regarding actions to take or what to do.
A 2017 study reveals that this technology has developed in such a way, that patients can go about their daily activities as they’re still sending their information to the medical facility.
- This technology permits monitoring vital signs including:
- Electrocardiogram readings.
- Heart rate and breathing activity.
- Blood pressure along with blood glucose levels, making it convenient for diabetics among other issues.
Body temperature and, what is becoming nearly incredible, neural system and brain activity.
Real-Time Video-Conferencing
The increase of video conferencing in basically every industry within the past three years goes without saying, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical facilities are no exception to this rule. As per a 2014 study, this practice hugely affects the following:
- It decreases health provider costs.
- It increases patient engagement
- Patients who are unable to physically visit hospitals can be contacted by their doctors.
- Rural areas with lack of good health providing facilities can also benefit from this system
Of course, there is a risk regarding sensitive information, which is why data security must be one of the requirements when planning to use video conferencing techniques.
The Telemedicine Market
North American alone accounts for over three-fifths of the world telemedicine market. This is mainly due to an increase in the geriatric population accompanied by a growing and unfortunate issue with chronic diseases.
There are huge predictions of growth for the telemedicine market, as per a thorough analysis published by the Market & Market Journal.
The main reasons for the growth in this market are based on:
- Disposable incomes, which permits a larger spending by the general population.
- Developed and improved healthcare infrastructure.
A general and wide implementation of telemedicine itself.
The Current Leading Corporations in the Market:
With many upcoming investments for the future of this technology, the current leaders in the industry are:
Why Invest in Telemedicine
An important factor when considering telemedicine investments is the availability of technology. You need to keep in mind that this industry is something that needs to be accessible to everyone, and companies that use this pretext will have a much brighter future, causing a higher appeal to investors. Either way, the health industry should always be guided by the patient’s needs.
- The increase in chronic diseases is driving a higher demand for telemedicine. This makes it a great investment for healthcare companies.
- At the same time, it lowers the costs associated with the mentioned chronic diseases, meaning larger profit margins.
If you already have a digital strategy for your company and are prepared to invest, you’re already a few steps in front of the competition.