By Anuj Arora
Telemedicine has evolved as a favourable tool in delivering healthcare services post-pandemic. The advancement in video conferencing technology and availability of innovative digital medical instruments are key reasons telemedicine has rightly grown from guiding paramedics in managing patients to aiding physicians to offer direct consultation. Telemedicine has changed the paradigm of doctor-patient engagement and in doing so it has proved to be a primary rescuer for millions. A pre-pandemic report anticipated that by 2026, the market for remote patient tracking systems will be worth USD 1.8 billion. The
market size and development projections made before COVID-19, however, are now presumably undervalued.
The question is what does the future hold for virtual healthcare delivery other than telemedicine? Before we set out to find answers, it must be understood telemedicine is evolving as a care delivery model and efforts are being made to ensure last-mile accessibility.
Since it doesn’t provide a physician with the means to conduct an ECG, check the patient’s pulse, or inspect their chest, it does make diagnosing and treating the bulk of patients with chronic diseases a challenging task. Simultaneously, delivering care specifically to physically and economically vulnerable population like geriatric or elderly people is a huge challenge
due to comorbidities that may require a multidisciplinary approach, often leading to frequent visits across specialties. According to the National Statistical Office report, India’s elderly population to rise 41% over next decade to touch 194 million in 2031. Geriatric centres and clinics may have been opened by Ministry of Health in many states; to efficiently handle the
burden of growing geriatric population and address their co-morbidities, it is high time to fast-track the efforts and overhaul digital healthcare delivery systems.
The acceptance of telemedicine during and post pandemic has gone a long way to establish it as a trustable healthcare delivery model. But for virtual healthcare to truly transform itself and help people as a meaningful substitute for physical consultation, it is imperative to be on the lookout for alternatives and adopt emerging technologies. Concerns of physical
examination, security along with psychological satisfaction of consulting physician in private are key points that need better addressing in the future. Telemedicine is recommended to be used judiciously in this regard however, rapidly changing technological landscape also has answers for the woes of virtual healthcare. Emerging technologies can now collect a wider
range of information about human health, provide accurate knowledge of the human system and are building the capacity to personalise, speed up, and amplify prevention and care.
Modern wearables are replacing clumsy, intermittent manual methods with continuous, passive tracking. Wearables such as fitness trackers, smartwatches, and health monitors can collect data on a patient’s health in real time which helps patients track their health and take preventative measures before a disease develops. Data analytics can be used to extract valuable insights from vast numbers of patient data. By leveraging this data, healthcare providers can identify trends and patterns that can be used to diagnose diseases, develop treatment plans, and predict outcomes, especially in domain of geriatric care.
Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies, on the other hand, can be used in near future to simulate medical procedures, assist with medical training, help patients to manage chronic pain and visualize the potential outcomes of different treatments. AI has been used to highlight and detect suspected abnormalities in some instances to help with diagnosis. Predictive algorithms can now be created using artificial intelligence, which was not previously feasible. Doctors also use AI to evaluate medical reports of patients remotely and find inconsistencies with the symptoms reported by patients. According to a Deloitte study, by 2040 virtual delivery will be used for at least a quarter of all outpatient care, preventive
care, long-term care, and well-being services.
Riding on the back of proliferating technologies, we can envision a future where a person wakes up in the morning and a personalised smart device informs precisely what supplements needs to be taken based on the nutrition profile, environment, exercise, and stress levels over the previous week. It’s possible that device can predict when the patient is going to get the flu before any signs show-up. Based on changes in speech patterns, it might also be able to tell when you need more sleep or even forecast your risk of developing a mental health condition. As technology advances and propels the virtual healthcare space to new heights where it can be truly a substitute for physical medical care, the business case too seemingly is transmogrifying to suit the change.
(The author is a Vice President and Business Head- Strategic Partnership and Distribution, MediBuddy vHealth. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
