The COVID-19 pandemic has altered everything, causing individuals to spend more time at home rather than outside. People prefer to work from home instead, utilizing the latest Software Development for teleconference and telecommunications, due to the lockdown time and reduced-contact preferences. Following that situation, Healthcare Industry is also adopting cutting-edge technology to bring benefits to both doctors and patients. At the height of the epidemic, Telehealth Platforms were a lifeline for hospitals, clinics, and clinicians looking for a method to deliver the same level of treatment while limiting the spread of the coronavirus. Furthermore, according to a poll conducted by Global Data, about 75% of respondents indicated that telehealth technology should be continuously used even after the virus passes. So, if you want to learn more about this MedTech, simply stay here!

          Related: How Is MedTech Transforming The Healthcare Industry?

1. What Is Telehealth? 

The word “telehealth” or “virtual healthcare” refers to the use of telecommunications and digital communication technologies to offer and facilitate health and health-related services such as medical care, provider and patient education, health information services, and self-care. Telecommunication technologies such as mobile phones, wearables, video conferencing, and electronic data (PDF reports, videos, and images) can be used to provide telehealth. 

Developed by SotaTek experts, Booking Care and Remote Doctor, are examples of Telehealth Platforms. Such web-based development allows live video conferencing, appointment booking, remote patient monitoring (RPM), etc.

2. Reasons To Build Telehealth Platforms

There are many justifications why hospitals should look for a Medical Software Provider to develop their Telehealth Platforms. Below are some of them:

• Deliver the convenience to patients: Who wants to wait for a long time in the hospital? Even if you make a reservation in advance, there is no assurance that you will be seen soon. Instead, it would be preferable to wait for a callback in your bed or on the sofa.
• Lower expenses: Telehealth is more time-efficient and therefore, less expensive. Rather than rushing from room to room, hurriedly evaluating patient information on the fly, telehealth doctors are given important patient information prior to the call, cutting appointment times from 30–60 minutes to under 10. This significant time and cost savings (office rent, employees, and, in some cases, malpractice insurance) enable doctors to accomplish more.
• Improve services for rural areas: Normally, it’s hard for people living far from metropolitan areas to access the best healthcare services. Unless an emergency situation, they would probably not drive a long distance to reach the hospital. However, Telehealth eliminates the distance barriers, allowing patients to communicate with doctors and receive services using just an electronic device.
• The efficiency of diagnosis and treatment: Virtual healthcare systems store all of a patient’s information, from the medications they’ve taken to previous treatments. As a result, physicians can rely on it to provide more accurate diagnoses. Furthermore, because all data is consolidated on the cloud, doctors from various healthcare facilities can collaborate to determine the most appropriate treatment for each patient.

By storing all patients’ information, Telehealth platforms help doctors to deliver better diagnosis and treatment.

3. Key Functionalities To Integrate Into Telehealth Platforms

a. Patient Portals

To deliver the best healthcare services for each patient, the first and foremost functionality in Telehealth Platforms is nothing but Patient Portals. Basic personal information, such as an address, contact information, health-related information, the history of previous visits, and the schedule of scheduled arrangements, would be included in such portals. Through patient portals, users can:

• Schedule and cancel appointments
• Prescription refills
• Obtain laboratory results
• Examine clinical visit summaries
• Upgrade health insurance packages.
• Maintain balances

For doctors, these portals help increase patient engagement, manage finances, establish workflows, and promote patient loyalty.

b. Electronic Health Records

Electronic Health Records (EHR) is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically-stored health information in a digital format. Instead of relying on hassle paper documents, which can be easy to misplace and difficult to keep, EHR allows doctors to access patients’ information at any time and from any location. Furthermore, because these records are centralized in a platform, they can be shared across different Healthcare Institutions. As a result, many professionals can collaborate to shorten diagnosis time and provide the best treatment for clients.

c. Real-Time Communication

Video conferences, live chats, and voice messages can all be used to enable this functionality. So, what is the need for Real-Time Communication in Telehealth Platforms? Rather than having to go to the nearby hospitals, wait for your turn to see doctors, Real-Time Communication allows everyone to access the medical services and receive the consultants. The physicians would analyze and transfer the results as soon as the real-time data exchange began. Furthermore, if patients have any questions, they can communicate directly with doctors to have the issues resolved.

Real-time communication with doctors is a must-have functionality in telehealth platforms.

d. Appointment Booking

Standing in a long queue to wait for doctors is seemingly the norm in almost all hospitals, which is both time-consuming and inconvenient. Therefore, allowing patients to track the ability of the doctors, request consultations, schedule an appointment in advance could be a potential solution. If applicable, the Healthcare company should request that the Medical Software Provider integrate an online payment option in the Telehealth Platforms as well. It would be more convenient to pay with an eWallet, QR code, VISA, or credit card in a cashless environment.

e. Patient Education 

In the treatment of chronic diseases such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, patient education is critical. because it provides patients with disease-related information and empowers them to take a more active role in their health However, many patients appear to struggle with acquiring such knowledge, limiting their ability for self-management and negatively impacting the disease process. Therefore, virtual health education is needed in Telehealth Platforms.

Each study’s virtual education content will be personalized, and materials such as medication reminders, health-related surveys, and motivational messages will be included. A wide range of health care professionals is also involved in education delivery, allowing for a more comprehensive approach to care. Nurse educators, dietitians, and physical therapists, for example, delivered videoconferencing education sessions. Such contents have been shown to improve patients’ health and make them capable of self-care. To summarize, this functionality facilitates patient compliance with testing while also lowering the cost of frequent monitoring.

4. Final Thoughts: Get Started With Your Own Telehealth Platforms

To summarize, Telehealth Platforms have proven to be not only more comfortable for patients, but they also have the ability to improve public health, improve access to care, relieve pressure on the healthcare staff, and assist in the reduction of financial burden. Let’s make use of this opportunity to develop your own Telehealth Solution concept.

Want to leverage this Healthcare Technology? Contact us for more information. Our 600+ in-house employees look forward to making a difference and building the future of Telehealth together. Recognized by Techreviewer, SotaTek is among Top Healthcare App Development Companies, along with other international firms in the US and Europe. With our dedicated strategies and IT Consultancy, we believe to offer our global clients different MedTech solutions, including developing medical AI platforms for hospitals, virtual health access, online social insurance, hospital management, Windows software, etc. Now, let’s join our partnership network!