Remote Medical Care During an Outbreak. How Can You Keep Your Patients and Staff Safe?

As we see with all industries, technology is the driving force behind healthcare advancements. By aligning patient care with telemedicine, we empower health workers to have access to patients and their PHI data, unlocking cheaper, faster and more effective treatment.

One of the opportunities that modern technology has created for medical workers is the ability to deliver continuous care remotely, without interacting with patients in person. Telehealth solutions allow healthcare workers to treat and monitor isolated and immobilized patients, reduce potential safety risks, and facilitate critical care in the time of crises evoked by a pandemic or natural disaster.

Here are several essential ways in which hospitals and practices can leverage technology to ensure continuous care, improve therapy delivery time, and offer quick relief to patients while keeping healthcare staff safe.

Efficiently Resolve Minor Patient Requests

Remote medical care technology allows healthcare providers to deliver quality care to patients who don’t require immediate doctor’s assistance. E-consultations, telephone services, and AI chatbots present a fast and efficient way for these patients to seek competent medical assistance as they remain in a familiar home environment. Wearable devices, patient portals, mobile apps, and real-time telehealth solutions substitute an in-person consultation wherever possible, affording healthcare professionals with the opportunity to monitor and manage patients with mild conditions remotely to make more time for high-urgency cases. 

69% of consumers prefer chatbots to get immediate replies to simple queries and questions (The State of Chatbots Report)

Improve Disease Control with Centralized Data

By integrating various telemedicine tools and tactics, medical providers can build a single, centralized, and secure knowledge base that incorporates all patient information and history in one place. Such a holistic, up-to-date view of each patient’s condition allows them to improve the quality and efficiency of care, ensuring more streamlined processes and patient-centric, personalized services. And patients get an opportunity to increase their independence in disease management as they gain greater control and transparency over own health information.

An estimated 2,314 exabytes of data will be produced in healthcare this year, an overall increase of at least 48 percent annually since 2013 (Stanford)

Let Vulnerable Patients Stay at Home

Remote medical care offers assistance that makes it possible for healthcare facilities to take relevant measures in the face of a crisis such as a pandemic. Telemedicine solutions enable round-the-clock monitoring of the patient’s condition and execution of preventive and control check-ups, without any face-to-face interaction. By leveraging remote monitoring devices and platforms, those suffering from chronic illnesses or requiring frequent appraisals can avoid contact with other patients in waiting rooms. Also, remote care solutions open the doors to specialists based in different and distant locations, granting access to expertise that wouldn’t be otherwise available.

78% of U.S. consumers hospitalized in the last two years believe at least some of their recent in-person interactions with providers could have occurred virtually (PwC)

Protect Your Personnel

In today’s connected world, many industries have already embraced telework. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one-third of all Americans already work from home, and this number is constantly increasing. Patient mobile apps, videoconferencing tools, and chat consultations are an affordable and trustworthy alternative to conventional care, which open new e-work opportunities for medical facilities. They provide patients with rapid and convenient access to medical advice and treatment while allowing medical staff to conduct consultations from anywhere that has an internet connection. Moreover, many telehealth solutions, such as chatbots or live call answering, are available 24/7 without engaging staff. Healthcare providers leverage them to offer medical services at extended hours or during busy periods without raising headcount. Telephone Answering Services, ensure your practice line is always answered by a friendly and only reach out to your on call physician should there be an urgent need.  These services are often available on a 24/7 basis, if needed and also come in quite handy if your practice is short staffed or you want to close early or simply take a lunch break without your phones ringing off the hook.  

29% of Americans work from home regularly, most of them in IT, Finance, and Professional Services sectors (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

The Numerous Benefits of Telehealth

Telemedicine is a viable medical treatment option that empowers doctors to treat patients from remote locations, without getting exposed to risks during the commute or onsite consultation. Under normal operating situations, diverse remote medicine solutions and services benefit doctor’s offices and hospitals by enhancing diagnostics, complementing therapy, and boosting staff productivity. During a pandemic outbreak they prove particularly priceless.