The virtual care space includes a rich ecosystem of players in the telehealth and remote patient monitoring sectors. Telehealth is the ability to acquire health care visits, checkups and prescription drugs over live chat, video or telephone. Remote patient monitoring technologies enable health care systems to track patients’ vital signs and biomarkers in their homes.
Listed below are the major health care and medical device trends influencing the virtual care and telemedicine themes, as identified by GlobalData.
Big tech moves into healthcare
Big technology competitors such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft have been developing partnerships and technology solutions in the healthcare sector for years. These efforts have intensified over the years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the rate of technology adoption in the healthcare sector as a whole.
These players have a powerful grasp on cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and retail technology, which clearly hinders them in the healthcare sector. Everything from ambient clinical intelligence to AI-based diagnostic tools and virtual care platforms has recently been introduced by Big Tech.
personal health data
Personal health data may refer to electronic health records (EHRs), electronic medical records (EMRs), and telehealth, wearables/sensors, or any other health data transmitted via the App. This includes patient-informed and objective data about a patient’s medical history, diagnostic tests, vital information, treatments, medications, and more. The digitization of health data has allowed for easier access and sharing among patients, family physicians, emergency departments and specialists.
Adoption of electronic health records is increasing globally, and this trend is expected to continue. While this digitized data promotes data sharing between healthcare providers and empowers a patient to conduct their own healthcare interactions, concerns over data privacy and data usage regulations remain.
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Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
RPM technologies were already playing a vital role in healthcare delivery prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic has prompted physicians to limit in-person appointments, unless necessary, to reduce transmission risk to patients. Optimized using telehealth platforms and apps to allow patients to continue receiving care from their homes. This experience of decentralized healthcare may have improved patients’ views on the use of RPM devices after the pandemic.
Mobile Health (mHealth)
The main targets of virtual care technologies are those who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, arrhythmias, heart failure and chronic kidney conditions. Mobile health apps are commonly used by patients with chronic conditions to help them remotely manage their various treatments, monitor their symptoms, and improve adherence to treatments. Physicians can then implement necessary interventions that help patients in specific situations as these apps facilitate remote monitoring.
Mobile health applications proved to be an essential and promising tool in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The assessment app, using advanced AI tools, RPMs and mobile screening, helped reduce the number of patients admitted to hospitals, limited the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and provided essential care for patients with chronic diseases.
This is an edited quote from Virtual Care and Telemedicine – Thematic Research Report produced by GlobalData Thematic Research.
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