Digital Health
This highlights how digital medicine was useful initially in enabling lockeddown patients to access healthcare
The pandemic has also forced a tremendous amount of learning across all clinical and administrative functions at healthcare providers , as much from shared experience as from the reams of research that have been compiled .
“ As we gain these experiences and share this new knowledge , collectively we ’ re better equipped to react to changes in this pandemic and into the future ,” said Dr Chuang , who is also a family medicine practitioner in Kansas .
As countries emerge from lockdown and vaccination programmes gather steam , healthcare communities still need to plan for a prolonged period of co-existence with the virus so that they can serve the needs of their patients over the long haul .
The reality is that the world will continue going through this COVID-19 era long after things start to return to normal , at least for the foreseeable future . The pandemic is not a “ point-in-time event that we will easily and quickly transition out of ,” he added .
Given this reality , Dr Chuang believes the healthcare community needs to consider the likely phases it will face over the coming months and year . Now that the initial crisis phase is over in many parts of Southeast Asia , health providers should brace for a persistent state of co-existence with COVID-19 in a way that requires a new model of healthcare delivery . The clinical transformation and optimisation of healthcare caused by the virus , and the considerations and factors brought about by its impact , have led to an upsurge in virtual care that is beyond simply telemedicine .
Though the United States and other developed countries have been leading the way , the trend has also been strong in other parts of the world as hospitals were forced to reduce their capacity and limit patient access due to an increase in the COVID-19 care they were providing and the risk of transmission .
“ Telemedicine and tele-healthcare became the way to provide access to patients . The initial uptake was significant across multiple specialties ,” said Dr Chuang .
But despite being lionised for years , the emerging technology has never quite matched all the promise , and many practitioners felt they were being forced to use it . As a result , digital healthcare has prompted the need for providers to work within its confines and adapt their procedures while they wait for telemedicine platforms to evolve and catch up .
What ’ s been seen in America is a return to more traditional care models after telehealth surged and then settled to around the baseline of 11-15 percent of consultations currently . This highlights how digital medicine was useful initially in enabling locked-down patients to access healthcare . But there have been challenges .
One of these is the concern that the quality of care given over pixels was far below that of faceto-face consultations . There were also suggestions that too much care was being provided , perhaps inappropriately , through a video link , as well as potential safety concerns from poorer assessments and evaluations leading to poorer treatment decisions . By leaping on new technology out of necessity , it was possible that standards of care and best practices were in danger of falling by the wayside .
As the use of telemedicine has grown , healthcare providers have begun to question if it ’ s really the best way to achieve the outcomes they desire relative to the costs of the technology and reimbursement for the service . From the depths of crisis , a sliver of reality has shone through : doctors realised they needed to treat patients , but they have also become ready to acknowledge that the tools they have available may not yet be adequate .
“ Instead of thinking that the technology is the answer to every problem and that all problems are the same , what this pandemic has shown is the need to look at the technology available and apply it where it makes sense , optimise it , and think about how we can re-engineer processes to improve the value and the capability .
“ As we look into the future , there ’ s an opportunity to collect data and experiences , analyse them and re-engineer and redesign systems that can adapt technology where it makes sense to really deliver a true exceptional patient experience that is both good for the patient as well as effective and easy to use for clinicians ,” said Dr Chuang .
This has served to inspire thinking in healthcare
Telemedicine can ’ t always replace face-to-face interaction
56 JUNE 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com