Transforming Healthcare with Telemedicine Solutions

Telemedicine (or more broadly, telehealth) comprises a variety of digital communication technologies deployed to make healthcare more accessible, more informed and, in an age of hyper-infectious diseases (such as COVID-19), significantly safer. These technologies include patient portals, remote consultations on phone and video calls, remote monitoring devices which collect patient data in real-time, and mobile health apps which empower patients to manage their vitality through lifestyle decisions. Discover the power of telemedicine to transform your organisation in this helpful guide, and join the next revolution in modern healthcare.     

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Telehealth Solutions: Key Benefits and Applications.  

Increased Accessibility

The first major benefit of telehealth solutions is their outsized role in increasing the accessibility of medical treatment through virtual care. For patients living in rural areas or facing mobility challenges (such as the elderly, disabled and chronically ill), digital platforms enable direct access to high-quality medical care otherwise prohibited by geography.  

Increased Efficiency

Telemedicine solutions vastly streamline operational processes, leading to faster workflows and superior care, by automating routine administrative tasks, including the management of electronic health records. Patients gain instant access to specific medical information directly from their healthcare providers, as well as up-to-date medical records from patient portals, while enjoying the security afforded by POPIA-compliant privacy protection systems. They can also communicate with multiple providers simultaneously, accelerating and enhancing care. The resulting productivity gains and cost savings enable healthcare organisations to expand and enhance their services, while keeping administrative overheads to a minimum.   

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Increased Quality and Capacity

By shifting medical consultations, monitoring and health administration to digital platforms, healthcare institutions can address a greater group of patients while providing improved medical service. Digitisation allows specialists to attend to more patients, as a result of the increased efficiency of virtual consultations and automated triaging systems.  Similarly, remote monitoring further enables professionals to distribute their care across a wider array of patients, as devices which record patient data (such as heart rate and blood pressure) reduce the need for constant attention from a supervising doctor or nurse practitioner. With data-driven diagnostics and monitoring, patients and professionals can take proactive steps to anticipate and prevent symptoms — reducing hospitalisations, minimising waiting room-crowding and alleviating pressure on emergency wards and primary care.

Types of Telemedicine Software and Their Features.  

Telehealth encompasses a wide range of remote healthcare functions and services, including communications between labs and pharmacists, the remote training and coordination of on-site health professionals, and the automation of appointment reminders, medicine collection notifications and home deliveries. Other advances in telemedicine technology include the remote monitoring of symptoms (especially for chronic illness management), easy patient access to secure electronic health records (EHR), and rapid response for urgent care and minor ailments.

Patients also benefit from other remote services, such as online group therapy, streamlined remote admissions processes, and the submission of photo and video documentation of symptoms. Of these, the three most transformative innovations are:

Video Conferencing Platforms

Remote video communications have become a key component of many organisations.  In healthcare, they allow for collaborative consultations, where patients can engage with multiple specialists simultaneously, as well as long-distance practice management for organisations with multiple service locations.   

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Electronic Health Records

EHR integrations allow patients and providers to rapidly access medical information from secure digital platforms, ensuring all members in a patient’s healing process are up-to-date at all times.

Remote Patient Monitoring Apps

Tracking symptoms and vital signs is essential for managing chronic conditions and the critical stages of recovery. Telehealth links digital devices to cloud storage applications, where providers can keep abreast of real-time developments in patients’ health statuses.

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Key Considerations When Choosing Telemedicine Solutions.  

The best telemedicine software integrates seamlessly into healthcare organisations’ existing digital infrastructures, and offers user-friendly interfaces that promote ease of adoption. POPIA-compliance is paramount, ensuring security protocols keep patient health information and staff data protected at all times, and minimising the likelihood of costly legal penalties. Other common selection criteria include:

• Scalability, particularly for organisations which intend to expand their addressable patient market)
• Integration and customisation, for tailoring solutions to your practice’s specific mission, possible future offerings and current digital infrastructures, and  
• Patient accessibility, for engaging patients from admission and throughout their recovery journey

The Role of Telemedicine Technology in Patient Engagement and Outcomes.

Patient agency is a key determiner of positive health outcomes, as individuals feel empowered to lead (and commit to) their own recovery. But engaging patients has long proved challenging for healthcare providers, who often struggle to motivate their clients to adhere to treatment plans or track their symptoms and progress. By equipping patients with wearable devices linked to online platforms that automate the monitoring process, telehealth solutions promise to fundamentally transform patient engagement in an efficient and cost-effective manner.  

Patients and practitioners can observe precise medical developments in real-time and take proactive steps throughout the healing journey, while significantly improving the efficacy of recovery — especially for mental health support and chronic disease management. These trends are only due to compound with future advances in the internet of things (IoT), allowing for integrations with other medical devices, and artificial intelligence (AI), using machine learning algorithms to provide comprehensive data analytics which support more accurate diagnoses.

Embracing Telemedicine Technology for a Better Healthcare Future.

Telehealth technologies present a major frontier for healthcare, improving accessibility, capacity and quality of care. By harnessing digital and telecommunications technology, healthcare providers can expand and improve their medical services, while streamlining their operations for enhanced efficiency.

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Contact JustSolve today to explore the potential of a tailor-made telemedicine platform for your organisation, and build a healthier world — the smart way.