Healthcare professionals (HCPS) ran on a hectic schedule this year. But what made their job easy was health technology. Several tools and products helped clinicians and doctors to expedite care to patients and make a quick diagnosis through virtual care or otherwise.
Because of the growing efficacy of health tech, doctors have been able to detect or rule out coronavirus in patients. And this has led to the sharing of information across multiple touchpoints amid the pandemic.
In the past, it’d have been difficult to see the kind of progress we made during the current global health crisis. But thanks to healthcare technology and data analysis, the medical world was able to identify the pandemic sooner than later.
Let’s look at some of the health tech trends that have helped healthcare professionals across the world handle COVID-19.
Videoconferencing: Telemedicine proved to be a gamechanger during the coronavirus outbreak. As more and more patients were under lockdown and self-imposed quarantines, the demand for remote health care or online doctor appointments grew exponentially. People took to virtual consultations with their doctors and video calls became the preferred mode of communication. This not only helped in reducing the risk of exposure but also made for better accessibility.
Also Read: 5 ways Electronic Health Record (EHR) improves Patient experience
Efficient chatbots: Many healthcare providers updated their chatbots to help the users identify the symptoms and decide whether they need to visit a doctor or not. The trend led to an increase in the downloads of coronavirus screening apps on mobile. From the initial phase of such apps to the versions available today, the UX professionals have improved the experience a great deal for people who want to know whether they fall under the spectrum. Besides AI-backed chatbots set up to answer the queries and provide timely information also helped a lot.
Wearables for patients: This is another field of healthcare innovation that helped HCPs a lot during the pandemic. Wearables worked like a wonder for medical caregivers as they could monitor the vitals of the patients with minimum human contact. Many countries are using temperature sensors to contain the virus. The readings from the sensor are sent to healthcare professionals to study and analyze further to make an assessment.
Better software updates: Several IT vendors and software providers have updated and are constantly improving their products to identify the possible signs and symptoms. The agenda here is to apprise the clinicians and medical staff with screening questionnaires integrated to the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) that gives a view of the patient's history of travel and relevant symptoms and subsequent isolation.
Use of robots for patient care: To ensure there is minimal human contact, medical practitioners have introduced the use of remote-controlled robots to communicate, examine, and collect samples of the patient. The telehealth carts perform basic functions such as taking blood pressure. This not only reduces the in-person interactions saving more people from contracting the disease but also provides physicians with more time. Not only this, robots are also being used to sterilize the rooms and facilities at hospitals.
Also Read: How Salesforce Health Cloud can Improve Patient experience
Conclusion
As can be understood, healthcare professionals have benefited a lot from health tech and health information technology. If you are in the medical business and are looking for a health tech solution, then look no further. Our team is here to help you with your queries. Contact us for a free consultation.