According to research, telehealth manages COVID-19 patients with the at-home telemonitoring approach. It was an effective and long-term strategy for treating patients. The program’s aims included
- avoiding needless hospitalizations,
- identifying deteriorating patients,
- escalating treatment as needed, and
- providing support to patients and their families.
Despite the modest intensity of the intervention, the researchers concluded that “our findings justify the use of telemedicine to monitor COVID-19 patients at home successfully.”
What is telehealth?
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, telehealth is described as electronic information and telecommunications technology to aid long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health, and health management. Videoconferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imagery, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications are examples of technologies. Telehealth, as opposed to telemedicine, encompasses a larger range of remote medical treatments. In addition to clinical treatment, telehealth can refer to non-clinical activities, including provider training, administrative meetings, and continuing medical education.
Why does it matter?
Patients were assigned to risk groups based on their age and underlying comorbidities. A monitoring package includes a pulse oximeter, an automated blood pressure cuff, a vital signs and symptoms record sheet, and contact information to report increasing symptoms. Patients have to contact if their oxygen saturation dropped below 92 percent, if they acquired shortness of breath, if their systolic blood pressure dropped, or if any other symptoms worsened outside of typical office hours. Researchers discovered that the majority of patients coped well with the system. From the time of HMP enrollment, only 6.2 percent required hospitalization, and 1.2 percent required a stay in the intensive care unit. One patient, who had previously been in an emergency room, died while being watched. High-risk individuals were admitted to the hospital at a considerably higher rate.
How can telehealth effectively manage COVID-19 at home?
Virtual doctor visits have become one of the fastest-growing trends in healthcare since the COVID-19 Pandemic. As the name indicates, virtual doctor visits allow patients to communicate with doctors via video chats, removing the need to visit their clinics. Telehealth and virtual medical appointments have several advantages.
- For starters, doctors may now conduct patient visits with ease.
- Easily and swiftly screen patients and only arrange in-person appointments if specific follow-ups are required.
- Virtual visits save time for patients because they no longer have to travel to physicians’ offices or hospitals and wait in waiting rooms.
- On-Demand Healthcare.
People have become more active during the last decade, forcing many companies to adopt the on-demand economy. As a result, patients and doctors are no longer bound by a single organization. They are now keener to work for various healthcare organizations simultaneously. Consequently, doctors’ schedules have grown more flexible in providing medical services, and they can now more readily adjust to their patients’ changing needs. You can also take advantage of some other factors like:-
-
Disease History Analysis:
Along with On-Demand Healthcare Solutions, many digital healthcare tools are being developed to assist doctors in analyzing a patient’s medical history and providing the best therapy available.
-
AI Screening:
AI screening, which uses artificial intelligence technology, is another developing trend in digital transformation in healthcare. It assists hospital workers in determining which patients require immediate attention and directing them to the right resources. To relieve the burden on medical employees, several hospitals have successfully used AI-based chatbots and speech systems to screen patients to relieve the burden on medical employees. AI Screening, for example, might assist patients in finding their way to the appointment booking line, the laboratory, or the pharmacy.
Can you use telehealth services?
Telehealth services are available in a variety of formats. Telehealth encompasses video, audio, remote patient monitoring, electronic medical record platforms, administration, and continuing medical education. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following are some examples of common telehealth experiences you could have during and after Covid-19:
Synchronous:
A video or audio visit in real-time on a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Asynchronous:
“Store and forward” technology records information from the patient and allows the practitioner to assess it later. For example: Take a photograph of a suspicious skin lesion and upload it to a patient/provider portal. The photograph would then be reviewed by a professional who would provide recommendations. The same engagement can occur in writing, encrypted messaging, or video recordings.
Remote patient monitoring:
Patients can gather data such as blood pressure or glucose levels via a gadget that delivers the information to the clinician via remote patient monitoring.
Benefits of telehealth:
-
Reduced Costs:
Digital transformation promotes process automation, allowing healthcare institutes and companies to provide cost-effective services while eliminating wasteful expenditure on traditional healthcare services.
-
Optimized Workflow:
Digital transformation can replace paper records with digital records, shorten patient examination times, and make more accessible and efficient patient health records.
-
Improved Connection with Patients:
Through video calls and chats, digital transformation can enable better and more effective online interaction with patients.
-
Electronic Medical Records Secure Database:
In healthcare, digital transformation allows you to construct a secure database for encrypting, storing, and accessing patient medical records. It allows healthcare professionals, laboratories, and medical specialists to share them on demand.
-
Internal Communication:
The healthcare business relies heavily on communication to offer effective treatment to patients. Furthermore, digital transformation allows for more efficient and seamless communication among all stakeholders.
-
Better Time Management:
In the healthcare business, digital transformation may save much time. Moreover, 24/7 access to the patient’s health information and real-time coordination might save many lives.
-
Healthcare Services that are Better:
Because the healthcare sector is centered on the patient, employing innovative techniques for accurate and timely diagnosis and treatment. Integrating diverse technologies helps healthcare professionals and institutes give more effective and individualized treatment to patients through digital transformation.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, telehealth can help diagnose and treat COVID-19 effectively. In addition, the nature of telehealth makes it ideal for treating patients at home, leaving doctors to focus on the most serious cases. It allows the physicians to reduce the time they spend on routine cases instead of on more critical ones. Plus, patients can go about their daily lives without needing to take time off work or school. Connect with intelyConnect to make your healthcare easier and more productive with a secure platform. Our technical team supports you if you have any problems. To read more articles click here
