With penetration of technology and Internet, it has become even more easier to communicate virtually with doctors and other healthcare professionals. An insight by Satish Kannan, Co-founder & CEO, DocsApp
It’s fascinating to look back on the advancements in technology and see how far the world has come in the last two decades. At the same time, the manner in which technology has proliferated and come to become such an integral part of our daily lives has led to the diminishing of physical distances. A person’s physical location is no longer a barrier, as technology has made it possible for people in remoter parts of the world to access healthcare and other related services, as well as interact with doctors and caregivers, without having to travel long distances.
Online medical consultations
One of the most recent trends, especially among the urban population, is that of the growing use of online medical consultations. Easy access to Internet through smartphones and Internet-enabled feature phones has empowered consumers to avail services and facilities that were simply unheard of just a decade ago. The advent of the Internet and the massive flow of information it generated across the world soon led to a revolution that began with the US-based company WebMD, which began in 1996 as online publisher of news and information pertaining to health, general well-being, as well as medical drugs. Soon, many more such websites followed, offering a level of transparency unlike patients had ever seen before. They were no longer bound to visiting the doctor at the slightest hint of an ailment. Rather, by simply going online and looking up the symptoms they were experiencing, these individuals could self-medicate for the more common ailments, and only pay a visit to the doctor for more pressing health issues. The relevance of these online medical portals only increased over the years as our lives became busier, and people became less healthy, with more and more individuals looking towards these information channels for the right medical guidance.
With penetration of technology and Internet, it became even more easier to communicate virtually with doctors and other healthcare professionals. So, the trend of online chat and call-based medical consultation began, rising to prominence with the arrival of smartphones and mobile applications, a phenomenon that changed the world forever. Replicating its first mover’s initiative of launching a healthcare-focussed website in the mid-1990s, WebMD launched its mobile application in 2008 just weeks after the app store was launched. This was followed by the emergence of a new segment called health-tech that heralded the arrival of an age wherein healthcare services such as booking appointments with doctors, consulting with them on ailments and treatments, and even buying medicines, became easy to access with just a few taps on our phonescreens.
The rise of telehealth and m-health
Nearly 70 per cent of the of total Internet users in India have access to the Internet on their mobile phones, or smartphones, with affordable 3G/4G data packs. Currently, India has over 300 million smartphone users and an estimated 400 million Internet users, with the rate of digital penetration in the rural regions growing at a substantial 26 per cent per annum, compared to the 9 per cent growth in urban areas. With all of these factors underlining India’s steady progress towards large-scale digitisation, a major healthcare revolution is currently underway in the country, driven largely by the proliferation of digital, internet-enabled devices.
As the significance of smartphones grew – from a technological marvel that signalled the age of mass digitisation, to an indispensable means of communication– the way we consumed so many different services, including healthcare, also changed. The terms online doctor and online medical consultation that were coined in the beginning of the present century by the media and industry, have become truly relevant today. Healthcare mobile applications are driving greater convenience for consumers by enabling them to consult doctors online through various ways, be it chat, call or video. Furthermore, armed with the capability to facilitate treatments and consultations through chat, new-age healthcare companies are taking patient care to a whole new level.
Tele-health services such as chat have emerged as cost-effective alternatives to complement traditional healthcare services, proving to be particularly beneficial for those people living in the rural and remote regions where hospitals or primary health facilities are not present.
With online healthcare platforms like DocsApp, rural patients no longer have to travel hundreds of kilometres to the nearest urban centre in order to see a specialist and consult them on their medical queries or conditions. Rather, these digital platforms facilitate easy and efficient communication between patients and medical specialists through their mobile apps, providing doctor consultations on chat/call to the patient.
Tele consultation is also beneficial to healthcare workers working at such remote locations, as specialists can provide them with the right education and training, virtually. These kinds of consultations would have been deemed to be impossibility just a little over a decade ago. However, with high-speed mobile and broadband Internet, and apps, today a patient from Assam can reach a doctor in Bengaluru within seconds, proving that the implications of digitisation are truly massive in the realm of healthcare.
The role of mobile applications in the delivery of healthcare is especially noteworthy, which have become essential to improving accessibility for both patients, as well as healthcare professionals. Mobile apps have also enabled to people to manage their health easily and efficiently, not to mention that of their family. From timely reminders for check-ups, finding general medical information, to booking and accessing test results online 24/7, mobile healthcare, or m-health platforms are empowering individuals to avail the most convenient and affordable clinical services. As far as healthcare is concerned, geographical constraints don’t exist anymore, as ordering medicines and booking lab tests through mobile applications is as easy as ordering pizza. With healthcare gradually becoming more accessible for people across geographies and socio-economic categories, thanks in great part to technology, it only seems to be a matter of time when universal healthcare will become a reality in the country.
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