TELEMEDICINE
‘ The promise of telemedicine has been heard before , but it looks as though this year that promise is set to be realized ’
Aside from wearables and genomics , telemedicine may be the biggest digital health trend of 2015 .
Why ? Well , for a number of reasons . But we can summarize them down to four in particular .
a ) Faster internet connections and better software will provide a better video chat experience than before ;
b ) With mobile devices , patients can consult a doctor from anywhere ;
From the provider ’ s perspective , telemedicine has the potential to save money and make better use of time . And from a patient ’ s perspective , telemedicine means shorter wait times and ease of access .
While the youth would seem most likely to use technology for healthcare , telemedicine could also have a major impact on the older generation as they are more likely to have difficulty traveling to see a doctor in person .
In the last few years , more and more patients have increasingly looked to retail pharmacies in their neighborhoods for routine healthcare services because it is more convenient than visiting their doctor . The logical next step is that they won ’ t have to leave their homes at all . c ) The adoption of electronic health records makes it easier for doctors to access patient records ;
d ) Patients are comfortable with asynchronous messaging , which can be more timeefficient for doctors .
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