Telehealth came into the picture of healthcare as a great alternative for HCP to keep up with the health matters of their patients. Due to the pandemic, new challenges arose for the maintenance of several factors which gave rise to this option as a great alternative.
Many factors were at play with the pandemic. There are various new challenges facing healthcare providers today. They have to learn how to balance best-practice patient care, strengthen a variety of safety guidelines, and support their staff at the same time. These are also some of the main reasons why telehealth came as a great option for the management of patient cases.
Discover some of the main benefits of telehealth in this article.
Below you can read some of the main reasons why it became an alternative adored by both patients and HCP alike.
The 7 main benefits of Telehealth
#1: It helps in patient flexibility
One of the best aspects of telehealth is the flexibility it adds to patients’ availability. Many personal barriers interfere with patients’ openness to in-person appointments. We’re talking of factors such as travel time, time off work, childcare, and others. These problems are reduced by telehealth.
The former adds to bigger flexibility on the part of the patients, as well as less stress. Dhahri et al. surveyed telehealth patients in the UK. The advantage of staying close to family was the main advantage among a variety of pros.
Telehealth comes off as a good option that can help patients have a better balance of work, life, and healthcare.
#2: More patient adherence
Another great advantage for patients has to do with their increased adherence. Especially in close monitoring of diseases, satisfaction, and reduction of waiting times.
Besides those factors, telehealth can equally reduce hospital readmissions in several cases. The factor of mental health comes into play here. These services are flexible enough to provide support to patients in that regard.
If institutions adhere to telehealth, they can help patients commit themselves to treatment in that same health establishment in the long term. After all, a happy patient is always glad to come back.
#3: Cost reduction
One of the most obvious advantages is the reduction of costs on more than one front. A wide variety of medical disciplines will benefit from this option.
Other expenses such as front desk support, space for medical examination rooms, and other materials can be reduced. It may also come off as an easy opportunity for implementation as an alternative to the previous presential model.
The benefits in this regard extend to patients. Not only concerning the factors related to dislocation but also insurance elements. In Germany, for example, digital health application access is regulated by the digital healthcare act (Digitale-Versorgung-Gesetz) since 2019. Even before the pandemic, German patients could cover the benefits of digital health.
#4: Very beneficial for physicians’ mental and physical health
The safety factor in telehealth, particularly in the pandemic, came off as important to help doctors and patients keep a safe distance from each other. Virtual consultations became common for many. Since then, a variety of options on platforms rose.
For physicians, telehealth was a defining factor that helped many of them manage their time. It aided them to optimize workload planning, as well as work-life balance.
Physical and mental health is as vital for the quality of work and life of HCP. Virtual care options came as important to help maintain those factors. Especially during delicate times such as the one we’ve been through with COVID-19.
#5: Easier for patient follow-ups
HCP regular and systematic touchpoints play a significant role in improving treatment adherence and persistence. Telehealth can help in the creation of these touchpoints in a personalized fashion. Remote monitoring can hold great potential in telehealth-styled patient monitoring.
There are a variety of software tools that can help in connecting care teams and patients. To structure engagement within such a model, real-time information must be shared with HCP.
For example, digital symptom calendars, or diagnostic tools can help speed up treatment or prescription decisions. These digital tools are becoming more adaptable to a variety of disease and patient types.
Overall, digital engagement generates more favourable treatment outcomes that provide a better quality of life for patients.
#6: Optimized communication between Medical Disciplines
In a hospital, there are a variety of medical disciplines present. Optimized communication between patient-directed disciplines and diagnostic facilities has great advantages.
One of the main predicted pros has to do with a higher pace for treatment times and therapies. Not to mention the possibility of increasing diagnostic value by combining expertise.
Without a doubt, more than one medical field will enjoy digital opportunities. The easier access to data will, then, optimize communications with medical disciplines. With telehealth, medical education will evolve in more than one sense. And only for the best.
#7: New possibilities for patient education
Regarding patient outcomes, aside from the reduced risk of infection, physicians can educate people in this regard. There’s even a possibility to look into the specific environment in which the patient lives.
Many digital tools will allow the physician to show the patient some relevant information about their condition. Often zooming in scans for a close-up, or watching demonstrations for treatment. This helps the patient learn more about a certain condition.
Video contents have more than one use in patient education. Explainer videos are a unique style of content that can help in this matter. By showing a health-related topic in an animated sequence, the viewer will be more likely to engage with the content. Not only that, but they’ll also learn faster about the information in question.
It’s a very good way to optimize time in the consultation for both the patient and the physician. This content can also be sharable with the viewer. It’s beneficial in case it’s necessary for treatment or other medical procedures.
Using video content in a telehealth session, you can optimize both your and your patient’s time. All you need is a MedExplainer. Book your meeting and provide innovative content of value in your interactions.
