Statisticians and healthcare trend experts around the world have been very clear about one thing during this pandemic. Telehealth and telemedicine technology is a trump card against this virus. The prediction is that the use of telehealth solutions will rise dramatically as COVID 19 continues to actively disrupt the practice of medicine and the functioning of the healthcare sector in general. The telehealth sector in the United States alone is looking estimated to display an enormous seven-fold increase by the year 2025. Telehealth technology and the use of telehealth solutions will result in a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.2%. This prediction in the trends of telemedicine in the healthcare sector comes after the information that the market is expected to experience substantial growth which will result in a year-over-year of almost 64.3%.
The critical and essential need for social distancing in general between physicians and their patients has created an unforeseen demand in telemedicine. To put it simply telemedicine technology and telemedicine providers will now have a lot more clients than usual. The use of communications systems that create networks that enable either active or asynchronous communication between the doctor and the healthcare provider will soon be a common reality. Why is it that experts unanimously agree that telemedicine technology is the trend of the future?
It’s because of examples in daily life. In the United States, most people with chronic skin conditions lost access to their dermatologists because of the need for social distancing. One medical aspect that has seen an increase in the demand for telehealth options is mental and behavioral health. In an ongoing study, almost 45% of the sample reported that their emotional health and mental functioning would be affected by the pandemic. The fact that virtual consultations have been the preferred medium for these patients to help their mental state has hit a record high is testament to the fact that the world has already started to accept telemedicine as a suitable medium in the healthcare sector.
The opportunity to become a standard of care for telehealth products and services is growing. The challenge facing these providers of technology and health care will focus on their ability to scale up to this unprecedented need. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, development in the telehealth room would be maintained for the vendors who can deliver:
- User-friendly sensors and remote diagnostic equipment which after the telehealth experience yield a high rate of successful patient outcomes.
- Practical artificial intelligence (AI) systems, digital virtual assistants (IVAs), and robots that extend the implementation paradigm for telehealth.
- Big-data analytics implementation that will help researchers understand more about how COVID-19 is advancing across different groups of patients.
- Adherence to safety and privacy laws to prohibit data theft when telehealth systems are used.
It’s quite clear that while the pandemic has ravaged the world, it has also opened up this new avenue of telemedicine. A field that will only grow and make excellent healthcare that much more accessible to those who need it. The fact that innovation and research have started to take place in the field of remote medical assistance by way of telehealth technology.
