We are going through an unprecedented scenario globally. When an unseen microorganism started wreaking havoc and killing people with no barriers one year back, the world was helpless in the beginning. When the people-driven fight got united with advanced technology, we are able to fight back the deadly virus to an extent now. Among the many technologies, TELEMEDICINE has garnered global attention and importance during these pandemic days.
In this article, let us delve a little deeper into the topic of Telemedicine, analyze how it has transformed the medical industry, and see how a telemedicine app can help digitize business and get help to many.
What is Telemedicine?
Telemedicine is offering health care services by health care professionals to patients with the help of a platform and information technologies. The doctors should have valid and correct patient information to facilitate this process. Telemedicine is a twenty-first-century approach that is patient-centered, but at the same time, it protects patients, physicians, as well as all others. During times when social distancing has become the new norm, Telemedicine is an optimal solution.
An interesting fact here is that, even before the pandemic, Statista - a prominent online portal providing data on the global digital economy, predicted that the telemedicine market would hit $50 billion by 2021. Corona has further fueled the growth rate of this industry, and it is about to hit $460 billion by 2030.
What are the advantages of Telemedicine?
The advantages of Telemedicine are multifaceted.
This technology is very effective for services where direct patient-doctor interaction is not required. Telemedicine can give routine care and non-emergency aids in the cases of medical counselling or psychological treatment.
During the pandemic, Telemedicine has become a basic need for the general population, health care providers, and patients with COVID-19. When people are in quarantine, it is very convenient for patients to consult a doctor online and get prescriptions.
As long as the patient-doctor direct interaction is not there, we can minimize the risk of infections transmitted from person to person. Since the patients are not exposed, they are less prone to other diseases too. Even doctors can be in the safe zone.
Physicians who are in quarantine can also employ these services to take care of their patients remotely.
Through Telemedicine, distance is not a restriction anymore. Doctors from anywhere in the world can also treat a patient.
Let us summarize the advantages of Telemedicine from the patients' perspective. We can say that the telemedicine system is highly convenient, very cost-effective, easily accessible, and gives patients more privacy. For medical practitioners and clinics, this system gives them more patients to treat, additional income, less load in the hospital, flexible timings, and an opportunity to work from home or anywhere in the world. Now that we have seen the advantages of telemedicine, let us now analyse the need for a Telemedicine app.
Why do we need a Telemedicine App?
With rapid improvement and downsizing of portable devices, every family now has at least one smartphone with a camera and communication facilities at their disposal. If we try to leverage these facilities that are already existing, one of the best possible methods for delivering remote health care to the mass audience would be a Telemedicine app. In fact, with a telemedicine app, you need not have to bring any drastic changes in the infrastructure other than the app development by a reputed mobile app development company.
If the telemedicine app can integrate popular communication services like WhatsApp, it would be easier for the general public to use it. Let us take a sneak peek at the advantages of a Telemedicine app. They are listed as follows:
With an app, the patient and doctor/clinic can get connected directly at a time convenient to both parties.
There is no time wastage in travel or standing in queues for patients. Even doctors need not have to wait for patients.
Anyone from anywhere in the world can get treatment from the doctor/clinic of his choice.
Doctors can check for a medicine's availability and expiry during the time of the prescription itself.
Regular follow-ups become easy with chats or video conferencing through the App.
The retrieval of earlier medical records and treatment files can happen instantly. So a patient does not have to carry around bulky medical files for his doctor's visit.
Through the information-sharing feature of the telemedicine app, the doctor may give his patients some detailed medical advice and even share a medical demonstration video.
Hassle-free and secured online payment available.
With these many benefits numbered, there is no need to emphasize the importance of a telemedicine app, especially during these pandemic times.
Telemedicine App and its Business Prospects
If you are making a telemedicine app, you need to decide on its type first. Because in the health field, we can not provide all services remotely. Depending on the expertise of a doctor, the niche a clinic works in, and the permissions from the government, there are different types of telehealth services you can provide.
Interactive Telemedicine
Interactive Telemedicine app should include phone and video calls for consultation. This type can become handier in situations where direct doctor-patient contact is not required. For example,
Follow-up consultations of a patient after a period of hospitalization.
Mental therapy sessions and neuropsychology sittings
Pharmaceutical advice when a change in the already prescribed medicine is required
Remote nursing consultations
Monitoring of post-injury rehabilitation process
In all the above cases, an interactive telemedicine app can be your best buddy. An option to call a medical specialist to visit a patient at home during emergencies can also be part of an interactive telehealth app.
IoT (Internet of Things)
Internet-of-Things refers to the collective working of intelligent devices that can communicate with each other for a common cause. IoT can be a great aid in the medical field, especially for remote patient monitoring. Devices used for measuring heart rate, blood pressure, levels of sugar, and other clinical parameters can collect corresponding vitals from the patient and pass them to the Telemedicine app. At the time of review, the doctor can check all these values in real-time even though the patient is not physically present with the doctor. It is also possible to add these values to the medical records of the patient using the Telemedicine app to make them available to the doctor later. Telemedicine thus helps doctors to keep track of any changes in patients suffering from chronic ailments.
Store-and-forward Telemedicine
Store-and-forward Telemedicine refers to the usage of telehealth services without any video conferencing. In fields like dermatology, a worrying development can be recorded on a photo or video and sent to a doctor to analyze it without a patient's visit. This technique is cost-effective for patients since there is no 'live' personal consultation involved. This service is beneficial for the doctor also because he can have flexible consultation timings as per his time availability and convenience.
A look into the functionality of a Telemedicine App
A good telemedicine app should incorporate Artificial Intelligence and Big data computations. An app built on blockchain technology is secure and free from middle man attacks.
For a patient, the telemedicine app should possess the following features:
Registration of a patient- You may use a mobile number, social media handle, or email for registration. The sensitive data must be secured from misuse by hackers. Two-factor authentication becomes valuable here.
Creation of a patient profile - It should not be a lengthy process.
Search for a doctor based on specific criteria or specialization
Appointments linked to the calendar as per the availability of the doctor
Audio or video conferencing facility for real-time consultation
Tracking of Geolocation
Secure and easy Integrated Payment
Push Notifications or reminders to remind appointments or to track important medical events
Rating and review option
The telemedicine app may also have additional features such as a personalized dashboard, medication tracking, secure chats, In-app calls, easy navigation, cloud data storage, patient insurance plan, etc. There should also have provisions for adding doctor profiles, a calendar for scheduling, seamless communication with patients, easy digital prescriptions, and a detailed dashboard and analytics. Other useful features that the telemedicine app for doctors could include video or audio session recording and pharmacy databases. The telemedicine app also should have an efficient admin panel for hassle-free management of patient and doctor data.
Before You Go
The telemedicine app industry is emerging, no doubt. The Corona pandemic has reinstated the necessity of an ideal telemedicine app. Even though this is the right time to enter the market with a wholesome telemedicine app, you should be beware of the hidden rocks and reefs in this business path.
Please do not follow the trial and error method; contact us for a free consultation on Telemedicine app development. Our vibrant team would share with you deeper insights from business as well as technical perspectives. Let us have a chat to figure out the best approach to build your Telemedicine app at the best estimate. Feel free to mail to info@zartek.in.