The pandemic that has affected everyone in the globe has spurred the rapid advancement and adoption of telehealth. From enabling patients to see a doctor online to allowing them to book a private ambulance, telehealth has shown its benefits and usefulness.
Now that the healthcare sector has fully embraced and adopted telehealth, it’s natural to wonder what other roles it will play in the upcoming years. How will telehealth and telemedicine shape the future of healthcare? What other applications can it serve? How will advances in technology affect it?
To answer some of the questions above, here are several predictions on how telehealth can adapt in the future and improve the healthcare industry for the better.
Increase in virtual clinical trials
Clinical trials are necessary for testing and verifying that a new medical product or treatment is working as intended. As a research study that requires volunteers and participants, an obstacle common in its early stages is gathering sufficient volunteers willing to participate.
With the introduction of telemedicine in this medical evaluation, clinical trials can now be conducted entirely online. For the most part, it allows participants to take part in the medical research in the comfort of their homes whilst wearing the required monitoring devices for data collection. In addition, the virtual nature of the trial means geographic boundaries become a non-issue, and patient recruitment also becomes much easier and straightforward.
Reduce the spread of infectious diseases
Thanks to the fact that telehealth is now more established and prevalent worldwide, the spread of future infectious diseases and outbreaks can be reduced and safely managed. Learning from past crisis, treatment and patient monitoring can now be done virtually and at a safe distance, reducing the chances of the spread of epidemics in vital healthcare facilities. By further decreasing unnecessary contact between highly-infectious patients and healthcare workers, the latter can remain at full strength to serve the more critical patients and tend to their other duties.
Adapt based on advances in consumer technology
Most devices and gadgets in our homes now contain smart features and are always connected, such as the modern smartwatch. As such, it’s only natural for telehealth to leverage on these existing and upcoming consumer technologies and incorporate them into the remote delivery of personalised healthcare.
With the use of Internet of Things-based services and wearable sensors, remote monitoring and collection of health data become simpler and faster than ever. As a result of this readily available data, the realtime status of a person’s health can be easily seen and monitored by medical personnel whenever required.
Conclusion
Telemedicine has become a core component in the healthcare industry, and with the advent of new technology, further innovation is certain to follow suit. To experience what telehealth and telemedicine have to offer at present, try out the MyCLNQ app. As Singapore’s leading telehealth app, your medical needs can be fulfilled all in one place. From booking a private ambulance to seeing a doctor online, you can reach professional medical assistance with just a few clicks.