With the introduction of several new-age technologies, the future looks bright for many industries. The same is applicable in the case of digital health or the telehealth industry. Did you know that around 66% of healthcare entities across 14 global markets have invested in digital health? The numbers will only increase in the future as telecommunications technologies are supposed to play a crucial role.
Besides developed countries, telehealth services are now available in developing countries too. Between 2021 and 2028, the telehealth sector is expected to grow with a CAGR of around 32%. In addition, innovations and trends within the telehealth industry will increase its market size in the coming years. Read on to understand the telehealth trends and the latest innovations.
Are you familiar with the telehealth industry?
Telehealth is a branch of healthcare that delivers services with the help of telecommunication technologies. A wide range of services are delivered with the help of digital channels, including clinical and non-clinical services. Telecommunications technologies include several communication channels like telephones, video conferencing tools, and messaging apps. These communication channels can connect clinicians, patients, and doctors remotely. Many people relied on these communication channels during the COVID pandemic to connect with doctors remotely. In some cases, telehealth might be referred to as telemedicine. Telehealth is an umbrella consisting of digital health, telemedicine, and other terms. Telemedicine usually refers to clinical healthcare services offered via new-age technologies. Here are a few services that fall under the bracket of telehealth:
- Telehealth offers remote or digital consultations with the help of communication technologies. Patients can discuss symptoms, treatment plans, and more with doctors via digital communication channels.
- Telehealth facilitates remote diagnosis of underlying problems. With the help of communication technologies, patients can share videos and high-resolution images with doctors for diagnosis.
- Telehealth facilities include remote patient monitoring solutions. With the help of wearables and smart sensors, clinicians and surgeons can monitor patient conditions remotely.
- Telehealth makes clinical and non-clinical healthcare services available in remote or rural locations. In addition, doctors can pass suggestions to patients in remote areas with the help of communication technologies.
- Telehealth includes healthcare applications or web platforms for patients. These applications can help doctors keep track of patient treatment and recovery.
- Telehealth applications are observed for mental health support and suicide prevention. People who cannot access high-value treatments can access online resources for free.
- Telehealth ensures that counselling and therapy sessions are available via digital platforms.
Latest trends and innovations in telehealth
New trends and innovations occur within the telehealth industry now and then. These trends and innovations will define the future of telehealth. Here are a few trends and innovations in the telehealth industry:
The rise of digital patient scheduling
Patients often visit hospitals and end up disappointed after not meeting the doctor. Some patients might return from hospitals after seeing a large crowd. Such issues can be avoided with the help of digital patient scheduling tools. Patients can select the appointment date via an online platform. With the help of digital patient engagement tools, healthcare entities can send personalised messages to patients and remind them of appointments or exam dates.
Transfer of medical imagery remotely
Medical imaging is mong the biggest telehealth trends in 2023. In the past few years, healthcare entities have developed ways to share medical images in different locations. Patients can go to diagnostic centres near their homes. Once the medical reports are generated, healthcare entities can acquire them from the diagnostic centres remotely. The patient does not need to go through multiple scans at different locations. Even when the patient changes healthcare provider, medical images are easily transferred.
Wearables and sensors
Remote patient monitoring is among the biggest trends in the healthcare sector. With the help of wearables and sensors, the condition of a patient can be monitored remotely. These devices can convey information related to blood pressure, heart rate, pulse rate, and many other metrics. With the advancement in IoT, wearables and sensors are likely to become more advanced in the future.
Data visualisation and analysis
Telehealth includes making the best use of patient data. For the same rationale, healthcare entities have started using AI and ML-led data analysis solutions. These solutions can visualise data and generate smart insights. For example, a patient’s recovery status can be converted into a graph. Clinicians can easily interpret a graph.
The rise of EHRs
EHRs (Electronic Health Records) are among the biggest telehealth trends. Gone are the days when patients had to carry a pile of documents every time they visited the hospital. EHRs can be easily stored and shared across different departments and branches.
In a nutshell
The telehealth industry is expected to grow at a significantly high rate. The latest telehealth trends are improving the level of patient care. Also, healthcare entities are helping more patients simultaneously with recent innovations. Learn more about innovations in the telehealth sector!
