People often react in shock when we say they can book a doctor’s appointment from home. This idea is not so new, though. For most people, it is. Just imagine how these people will react when we say they can even get treated in the comfort of their homes.
Yep, that’s possible with telehealth! No wonder science and technology have led the healthcare industry towards this amazing advancement where getting medical aid is becoming more manageable and affordable.
Yes, telehealth can also make healthcare affordable, which is unimaginable in times of rising inflation. More and more people are choosing telehealth, and research by Fortune Business Insights say that the telehealth market will reach $161.64 billion in 2024 globally. You might be wondering why these people are choosing telehealth.
Well, most of them are the aging population, and some are victims of chronic diseases, and, let's be honest, most have a love for convenience.
Let us tell you how telehealth and home healthcare solutions like hospital bed rentals, remote monitoring devices, telehealth platforms, etc., can be helpful for patients, professionals, and businesses running small medical practices. So, are you in? Read on!
How Telehealth And Home Healthcare Became Popular?
Do you know how certain factors have compelled healthcare to shift from traditional means to modern ones? Since Covid-19, we have been watching a hike in the number of patients with chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. This kind of health crisis where one disease is in spike has put some unneccessary burden on health industry.
Advertisement - scroll to continue readingPeople can’t afford to go to hospitals and pay for each visit. It is like they have to pay for the transportation and the hospital bills each time they go for a doctor’s visit. Therefore, some masterminds and saviors identified this problem and proposed a solution that promises convenient and accessible care options, i.e., telehealth and home healthcare.
Condition Of Global Healthcare Sector
Do you know? WHO has found that chronic diseases are one of the causes of death worldwide. But how can chronic diseases be a burden for the global healthcare sector?
Chronic diseases usually demand ongoing management and regular monitoring, which can be costly and even require extra resources. When people don’t get proper management of these diseases, they tend to die, making the healthcare system liable and reflecting on its failure.
In this regard, plenty of research has been conducted that highlights the need for convenient and accessible healthcare solutions. Today, patients are looking for alternatives to traditional in-person visits.
They prefer options like visual consultations and home-based care. To back people’s preferences, we have this study published by the Journal Of Medical Internet Research, which says patient satisfaction with telehealth solutions remains consistently high.
The Advantages Of Telehealth
People find telehealth to be quite advantageous as it improves the overall quality of the health system for both patients and providers. If we list a few benefits, then we would say that ease of access tops the charts, especially for people living in remote and underserved areas.
In rural or countryside areas, people have limited mobility, which makes it difficult for them to visit quality healthcare providers. Telehealth and home healthcare solutions help them connect with professionals worldwide while staying in their homes.
With ease of access comes the benefit of convenience and flexibility, which allows patients to schedule appointments according to the time suited for their availability. Isn’t this amazing? Just imagine there is heaps of snow out there, and you don’t have to bypass it to travel and bear the long wait in the waiting rooms. Save your travel time and the associated costs!
Lastly, it makes healthcare less frustrating and more engaging. People will consider it engaging and would love to adhere to treatment plans as it would be less hassle. Your virtual consultant will have regular check-ins with you, and you get to ask even the tiniest concerns with the proper communication channel. You don’t have to wait for the next day to talk to your provider, and you will have a better patient-provider relationship.
More Convenience With Home Healthcare Solutions
With traditional healthcare being out of budget for most of the population, home-based health services are becoming prominent leaders in the race. As a matter of fact, numerous researches have made us believe that home healthcare can improve patient outcomes, including reduced hospital readmissions and faster recovery times.
We can’t deny that home-based medical aid helps patients recover faster with personalized care by familiar people in a comfortable environment.
However, the special needs of your patient require special equipment. It is like you bring the hospital home! You might need medical equipment for proper patient care at home. This can be hospital beds, oxygen concentrators, monitoring devices, and other assistive equipment.
For example, in areas like Brampton, Canada, services like a hospital bed for sale and the availability of a hospital bed for sale in Brampton help people with home-based care, making it manageable.
How Telehealth Can Be Beneficial For Small Medical Practices?
Small medical practices are small businesses that offer medical services to people of interest. This is a great approach for medical practitioners to offer their services from the comfort of their homes to patients who want virtual consultations.
This option is quite affordable for people as they don’t have to travel miles, and the consultant’s fees are also budget-friendly. With telehealth, medical practitioners offer services online to eliminate the hassle of long waits and free up valuable clinic space.
Providers see patients on a given day and improve the overall practice time frame. Online appointment scheduling helps uplift the administrative burdens that small medical practices have to face.
For example, medical records are maintained electronically with e-prescriptions and secure communication platforms. They don’t have to rent a place to run administrative tasks and even get free time for staff to spend on patient care.
Requirement For Telehealth And Home Healthcare Practices
Carefully plan and consider the requirements that will help you in providing efficient healthcare services from home. You will need to set up technological systems to practice and provide quality healthcare.
This includes reliable high-speed internet for both parties because you don’t want blurry video calls to interrupt your diagnosis. You can’t play with someone’s health if you are not technologically adept.
Besides, you must have a telecommunication platform where your patients can reach you. This platform has to be secure as patient privacy and confidentiality matters, so make sure the video calling software is HIPAA-compliant. This will not only protect the patient’s data but also offer a smooth communication channel.
To handle things virtually. You will also need to train and support your staff and your patients. Besides, you yourself have to be trained on how to use the telehealth software and know about the best practices for virtual consultations and data security. You will be responsible for guiding your patients about the usage of telehealth software or platforms.
Final Thoughts
These solutions have made healthcare successful in most countries and the masses are embracing it with open hands as it is a win-win solution for both the professionals and the patients. People operating small medical practices can improve the overall health industry’s reputation by improving medical aid for patients and making the process of life-saving accessible.