The Future of Telemedicine and Virtual Health Consultations

As per a study, virtual bridge to Universal Healthcare in India. Thirty specialist physicians across eight cities ‌treated over 500 patients through virtual care/treatment. The physicians did this for the first time through social media—Facebook. The idea, though, was to cater to the needs of the hour. But on a deeper note, it created an impression and paved a new way for medical care. Virtual care/telemedicine has huge potential and requires more reflection to build the future.

The beginning of telemedicine & virtual care 

Virtual healthcare had already started in 2021. The beginning of a new trend had witnessed a bumper start. The number of in-person consultations went down by 32%, and online consultations went up by 300%. Another powerful example of its success is, Within six months of the launch of Apollo 24/7, which is Apollo group’s digital consultation platform, it witnessed 4 million people doing virtual consultation and 30,000 downloads of the app per day. 

By this time, we are familiar with terms like phone consultation and online consultation. Over time, these popular forms of medical communication have transformed into specific terms like “TeleMedicine” & “virtual health care/consultants”. Let’s see what exactly they are

Telemedicine 

Telemedicine refers to treating medical conditions without seeing the patient in person. It is done through the help of telehealth platforms like live video, live audio, or instant messaging. Telemedicine is limited to using the platform for diagnosing, listening to patients, and providing instructions. Usually, common patient concerns, chronic disease check-ups, etc., can be dealt with through telemedicine.

Benefits of telemedicine

1.  Timely access to appropriate next step of action 
2.  Fast access for immediate cure
3.  Access to services that otherwise may not be available to the people who need them

Virtual care 

Virtual care is a way of communicating with health practitioners with patients using digital tools. It is done in a real-time set-up. Virtual care examples include checking on after in-patient visits, checking BP, Blood Sugar, and other vitals, etc.

Benefits of virtual care 

1. Established care
2. Successful implementation

We are currently in a phase that is more of a virtual care consultation than telemedicine. The reason virtual care is widely used is due to its comprehensive nature.

Scope & Future of Telemedicine 

• Telemedicine can reduce expenses by reducing the burden on secondary hospitals
• Disease and health management is more successful through telemedicine 
• In cases of highly infectious situations, telemedicine can assure the safety of the patient and health caregiver
• The government aims to give equal access to all ‌people through digital health. Digital health will be a game changer in the healthcare system.

While so much is happening around telemedicine, the Govt has acted in the right direction at the right time and has come up with; Telemedicine practice guidelines, which are a guide about how a medical practitioner can provide healthcare using telemedicine. The future of telemedicine certainly looks bright & sunny. Telemedicine guidelines have all the information for a great start.

Scope & future of virtual care 

• India has around 0.5 billion internet users using more than 8 GB/per month. 
• The readiness of India for virtual care is a strong advantage for the Government. As they already have started in a big way. 
• Telemedicine practice guidelines provide a strong & tough combination of the medical and legal framework for patients and health practitioners. 
•  E-sanjeevani is the first telemedicine service started in India by the ministry of health & family welfare in 2020.      
•  E-Sanjeevani has two strong pillars. Ayushman Bharat health & wellness centre and E- sanjeevani OPD. 
• It was launched as a mobile app in April 2020; it has over 30 million downloads and 30 million teleconsultations. 

The government has taken a big leap toward accepting newer versions of patient treatment, like virtual care. The future of virtual care is imminent. Virtual care has already begun.

Conclusion

The government being in charge of the affairs of telemedicine indicates a great start and growth in this field. The future of digital platforms to handle healthcare is a novel idea. There is plenty of evidence about its advantages. The implementation and further discoveries are the future of telemedicine and virtual care.

References

• https://intouchhealth.com/finding-the-right-term-for-modern-digital-healthcare/
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-022-00211-7-
• https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Telemedicine.pdf