expert corner
Time to embrace the digital
healthcare!
The virtual apps and telemedicine will define the future of healthcare
delivery, writes Amitabh Nagpal while explaining their utility especially
in the context of diabetes
M
obile
devices
have
become
commonplace
among healthcare
professionals with
numerous apps
available to assist
them with important
tasks. These include
information and time
management, health
record maintenance
and access,
communications and
consulting, reference
and information
gathering, patient
management and
monitoring, clinical
decision-making and
medical education and
training.
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BioVoiceNews | October 2017
The trend of virtual
consultations is
catching on fast, as
globally we see it
taking form as a new
and convenient way
to deliver healthcare.
Doctors are linking
up with patients by
phone, email and
webcam. They are also
consulting with each
other electronically
sometimes to make
split-second decisions
on heart attacks and
strokes.
Telemedicine and
virtual doctors are
allowing for better
care in places where
medical expertise
is hard to come by.
This will especially
be beneficial for
patients in rural
areas, patients with
PTSD, new mothers,
senior citizens who
have no way of going
to see a doctor on
their own, and other
patients in similar
situations. Moreover,
it cuts short the
waiting time spent in
hospitals and clinics.
Virtual consultations
also increase patient
engagement with easy
access of reports and
patient charts, and
facilitate convenient,
automated record
keeping.
Of course, it would
be wrong to say that
a virtual app will