Telemedicine Services – Empowering Patients and Improving Lives
The healthcare and IT tie-up is a major breakthrough in the healthcare sector that has been a great boon for the general public and the service providers. RPM or Remote Patient Monitoring has been its most significant contribution which is basically a cloud-based digital interface to address all healthcare needs. Telemedicine providers are the key players in this field who have revolutionized healthcare practices all over the world.
Benefits:
RPM along with telemedicine providers play a pivotal role in the management of chronic conditions like diabetes, and cardiovascular ailments by allowing patients access healthcare services from the comfort of their homes. They enable a person to take control of all their healthcare needs and thus empower them by putting them in charge of their own health. The associated risks are negligible as it involves a one-on-one digital interaction between the patient and the clinician.
Mode of operation:
The patient has to upload health data recorded on a regular or irregular basis (depending on the health concern) on a web-portal through an app on their PC or smart device. The web portal, usually managed by a telemedicine provider has a network of doctors and clinician who can access the uploaded data. These doctors then diagnose the patient as and when required and help them keep a tab on their health status. This mode of health monitoring is very effective for the chronically ill and the geriatric population who have to frequently go for checkups. Some conditions like dementia and congestive heart failures require continuous surveillance; telemedicine providers have a solution for that as well, in the form of round-the clock surveillance services.
A summary of the services is provided below:
1) Provision of instructions
2) Answering of health related queries.
3) Monitoring of vital signals
4) Video consultation.
E-health services are utilized by hospitals and doctors on a massive scale. This fact is backed by the numerous surveys and polls which indicate the popularity of these services. A study on RPM devices has anticipated the global market value of these devices alone to reach US$0.98 billion by the end of 2020.
The following facts have led to the increasing popularity and demand of telemedicine providers and RPM solutions:
1) Efficiency in services
2) Simplicity. (The simplicity of these cloud-based telemedicine provider services makes them increasingly user friendly; even the elderly can use them with great ease)
3) Cost minimization
4) Geographic limitations can be addressed easily as the person does not need physically visit a doctor.
5) Round the clock service
6) More than one condition can be diagnosed on the same platform.
7) Reduces unnecessary hospital admissions.
Telemedicine providers have made significant contributions towards the improved health conditions of people globally and will surely continue to do so with each passing day.