BioVoice News October 2017 Issue 5 Volume 2 | Page 34

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. 34 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