Introduction
The availability of connectivity in health care delivery is changing the face of the heath care provision and enhancing service delivery to the patients. The use of telemedicine, RPM, Healthcare IoT and EMR into healthcare systems are helping to boost the usability of digital technology into care delivery systems. People can now receive advice from a doctor without leaving their homes and doctors can watch over the health in real time using connected devices and thus fewer hospital visits are needed. Also, the Health Data getting transmitted between the devices and systems enables proper flow of health information leading to enhanced and quicker diagnosis. It is a very effective change in the conditions when the access to healthcare is rather limited – like in rural or underserved areas. This is where connectivity is proving vital in healthcare’s ongoing move toward a system that is more focused on patients, less bureaucratic and more adaptive to the needs of the modern world (Review, 2019).
Telemedicine
Through the use of telemedicine, the process of patient examination has been shifted from face to face meetings by the patients doubling up as healthcare providers. Currently, by using video calls, messaging platforms and telemedicine applications, patients can ask for a medical consultation, diagnosis and treatment, without going outside. This is very advantageous to those who are to be confined at their homes most of the time, or those living in areas where access to health facilities is very limited. Telemedicine benefits include increased accessibility, decreased time spent on transit and increased possibilities for patients to have a prompt access to the health experts (Forbes, 2019).
It also provides possibilities for real-time monitoring using connective technology when a doctor can monitor a patient’s vital signs and health rates. This capability has improved preventive care because if one detects an abnormality there is time to take appropriate action. Looking at the current trends, telemedicine is promising to become an important means in the context of changes in the healthcare system in terms of increasing accessibility and cost-effective patient-centered care in the context of the development of digital technologies in the healthcare industry.
Remote patient monitoring
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is one innovation that is set to reshape the health industry because medical practitioners are able to monitor the patients’ data through connected devices. This technology can be of immense advantage to individuals with long-term illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other such related diseases since they can monitor their blood sugar, blood pressure, pulse rate as well as blood oxygen level from time to time. RPM also eliminates the need to visit the hospital more often as it allows the patients to access the health care services they require while at the same time reduces their chances of delaying their care by a long time (TechCrunch, 2020).
In addition, with help of remote monitoring, healthcare professionals can supervise significantly more patients and the quality of the care does not suffer, because the signals are given when the physical input is required. This preventive type of treatment control or alleviate the occurrences and prevented situations which have dire consequences on the health related bills such as a visit to the emergency or a hospital admission. Thus, RPM technology has a very important role in the optimization of modern health care, its accessibility, efficiency, and relevance to patients and doctors, as it develops as an integrated tool with telemedicine platforms and electronic medical records (EMRs) (Review M. T., 2020).
Digital health platforms
Technology continues to play a major role in the delivery of care and because of this, health platforms are redefining all facets of healthcare. These networks provide the patients with an integrated virtual front-end through which they can seek medical care, retrieve, and store their medical records, and interact with doctors electronically. From scheduling appointments, handling virtual consultations to receiving relevant health suggestions, digital health platforms enable patient convenience and improve Health System access (Gartner, 2020).
These platforms allow aggregating the EHRs, lab results, prescriptions, and diagnostic images, which makes the doctors have a full picture of a patient’s history and make the right decisions to help their patients recover. Also, it incorporates mainly telecom salutations and remote patient monitoring services and permit physicians to provide more individualized and constant care to their patients outside the office. With the advancement of digital health technologies, these platforms will occupy more importance in increasing the access to healthcare, better patient’s experiences, and reducing the costs related to healthcare services (ZDNet, 2020).
Healthcare IoT
Information Technology in the healthcare sector is commonly referred to as healthcare IoT (Internet of Things) is revolutionizing the healthcare sector through a network of intelligent system devices, sensors and systems for enhanced patient care and streamlined health care delivery. With the help of IoT connected devices including wearable health sensors, smart medical appliances, real time information can be collected and transferred to the health care professionals. This ensures appropriate tracking of body vitalities, identification of abnormalities in the body significantly and early, and probably will facilitate quicker healthcare (Spectrum, 2021).
From the perspective of the health care organization, the adoption of the IoT devices increases the efficiency and productivity of the system as well as enhances the quality of services provided to the patient. In the case of data transmission in real-time, the doctors and medical staff can track the patients’ conditions and make suitable decisions, and change the course of the treatment without the physical contact. Thus, in the sphere of IoT innovations in hospitals, it is possible to identify such directions: Organization of usage of equipment, beds, medication by determination of their availability. It also increases patient safety; it also measures environmental conditions such as light, temperature and humidity in critical care areas (Insider, 2021).
Connected medical devices
Intelligent services are revolutionizing the health sector through collection of real-time information concerning patients’ health state and that of health practitioners. These gadgets include smart glucose monitors, a heart rate sensor, and wearable fitness trackers that help to maintain a consistent check on the vital rates and other physical characteristics. Through secure networks, the connected medical devices help in monitoring patient’s symptoms and early diagnosis of health complications at an instance, without physical contact (Verge, 2022).
In the case of healthcare organizations, connected medical devices facilitate organization for operational systems by offering ways of managing data flow and interactions between the healthcare providers and patients. These devices are integrated with EHR systems so that the healthcare givers are informed on details about the patient which enables them to make faster and proper diagnosis of the issue at hand and delivery of precise treatment to the patient. With the increase in the use of connected medical devices they are significant in the enhancement of telemedicine, remote care and digital healthcare where solutions are most effective, affordable and efficient to patients as well as the providers (Association, 2022).
Health data interoperability
Interoperability in the health context means the flow and use of health information in healthcare delivery at various levels, organisations and technological platforms. It allows for a seamless exchange of data about the patient including the patient record, test results and scans from different health care facilities regardless of the system that has been implemented. This capability enhances the co-ordination of care since many practitioners can be accessing a complete record of their patient’s history, and this helps in avoiding mistakes, repetition of tests and time wastage (Association, 2022).
This openness also facilitates tale-diagnosis and tale-surgeries besides enabling pass-through of data from wearable devices or even home monitoring systems directly into the patient’s record. Consequently, health care providers are in improved circumstances to offer a preventive and individualized health care. It is important in the enhancement of innovation in research and development of healthcare as well as other health related research. This is because with large databases, one is in a position to discern patterns, detect diseases and even come up with new cures.
Virtual healthcare solutions
Telemedicine services are transforming the provision of medical care through the provision of consultation, diagnosis and treatment over a digital application. By the help of telemedicine, video and radio conferences, and utilization of health mobile applications, patients make use of healthcare services in their homes. This minimizes the instances of physical Hospital attendance hence expanding the coverage of health services most especially to the rural and underprivileged regions (Forbes, 2019).
For healthcare providers virtual solutions improve productivity in handling the patient-facilities-physician interrelationships, decreasing time wasted and optimal on resource utilization. Doctors can attend to many patients at once, continuously observe their status and make requisite modifications to the treatment plans acquired from the patients. This approach is beneficial in enhancing the quality of patient care while at the same time cutting down the expense on care delivery. In the coming future, virtual healthcare solutions are expected to become the new normal of medical procedures and embrace a new era in over-all medical practice that is easily accessible and highly efficient (Insider, 2021).
Conclusion
Therefore, virtual solutions are revolutionizing healthcare delivery by providing innovatively effective access to services for patients. By using such ideas as telemedicine, distant supervision, and other digital healthcare platforms, patients can get the necessary help at any time and from any place, whereas healthcare maintenance organizations can organize their work more effectively and use resources more sparingly. On this note, virtual healthcare will assume a very important place in the future as healthcare industry will increasingly integrate digital technologies into its practice. In this way, virtual healthcare solutions improve the connection as well as collaboration between patients and/or healthcare specialists that results in a more effective, affordable, and sustainable healthcare system (Review H. B., 2019).