Update How Virtual Healthcare Technology Disrupts Medical and IT Industry

Before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare sector has started implementing virtual technology, but it was not much prevalent. A bi-annual survey of US-based physicians has revealed that prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and at the beginning of the year 2020, only 19% of physicians had initiated some form of video visits. Simply put, the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst in increasing investment in virtual health applications. 

It all started more than a decade ago. At that time, virtual health was regarded as a game-changer in the industry, but as advancing technology made virtual health possible for healthcare organizations across the world, its adoption remained rather slower than expected. Then during this pandemic age, the healthcare sector witnesses smaller declines in total visits in adult primary care and behavioral health segments.  It has made virtual health in limelight. 

A McKinsey survey conducted among leaders of healthcare service providers in the year 2019 has revealed that prior to the pandemic, virtual health adoption was highly concentrated in telemedicine with the limited investment in the full range of available virtual health technologies. Remote monitoring was considered a key area for investment in the future. Today, virtual health has risen as an imperative and vital part of the healthcare ecosystem. 

Naysayers and some once-skeptical clinicians have also started acknowledging the value of virtual health in better and more engaging interaction with their patients. Though many regulatory requirements can become hurdles in the way of mainstreaming virtual health, it is likely safe to mention that the demand for virtual health will be increased over the period and mHealth app development will make it a new care model eventually. 

A Deloitte report has identified five core areas of the healthcare framework where virtual health can bring transformation. Here we dig deep into these frontiers and discuss how virtual health is reshaping care models while enhancing the patient experience. We will also see the role of the healthcare app development process in disrupting the healthcare sector through virtual health features. 

Top Five Ways Virtual Healthcare Technology Disrupts Medical Industry

Let’s start with the most obvious area- wellness and health management. 

Wellness and Health Management

Virtual wellness support to people who are at risk is possible with the help of virtual health. A healthcare app development company can integrate virtual technology-related features to enable users to get calls related to telehealth support, online prescriptions-related assistance, and awareness for well-being. These virtual calls can help users improve their health while following stay-at-home guidelines and social distancing norms. 

Reputed mobile app development companies can make VR-based apps that can be integrated with wearable devices to monitor vitals like heart rate and oxygen saturation levels. While monitoring these parameters physicians can call patients for giving guidance and make them alert in case of emergency. 

Outpatient Services

This is another important segment that can leverage the benefits of virtual health. Outpatients can schedule an appointment online using the healthcare app, but with virtual health-related features, they can have a video call with the physician without visiting the hospital. 

Advanced healthcare apps can also enable the users or patients to give their urine samples from home. Scanning of a test strip using the smartphone’s camera can enable the laboratory equipped with computer-vision techniques to detect early signs of kidney diseases, UTI infections, pregnancy-related issues, or even bladder cancer.

Patients who are in rehabilitation can understand and implement physical exercises thanks to virtual therapy. Hospitals can also show virtual exercises before and after a knee-replacement or hip-replacement surgery. 

Research and Development

Be it a cloud-based surgical procedure or training for medical students, virtual health technology can assist the sector with remote monitoring. It is easy to provide live content in a simulated environment for training purposes to medical students and even doctors. 

During the surgical procedure, it is possible through a VR and AR-based healthcare mobile app to display videos and images in real-time to trainees or healthcare service providers. Digital clinical trials and research-based work are also possible using virtual technology-based applications. 

Read More : Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare App Development 

In-patient Care

In the healthcare app development process, experienced app developers integrate virtual technology features based on cameras, machine-learning algorithms, and connected devices for enhancing in-patient care. It is possible to make a command center for providing remote care for patients in ICUs that require immediate and real-time attention. 

The center can fetch the data from connected machines and VR-based apps, analyze the data, and send real-time alerts to service providers about watching the patients more carefully. 

Administration and Management

Administrative and managerial requirements of healthcare organizations can be fulfilled easily using virtual technology. The mobile app development company enables healthcare organizations to manage all the internal processes effectively, and assist them through concepts like remote assistance and data analytics. 

In a nutshell, virtual-health disruption is upon us thanks to advancing technology. Challenges like an error in diagnosis, improper treatment, communication issues, and equipment malfunction can be effectively addressed using virtual health technology. It can also reduce administrative work while increasing the efficiency of the healthcare staff.

The healthcare app development company can assist healthcare organizations to meet compliance-related issues and enable them to provide improved access to patient care services. 

Concluding Lines

In coming years, medicinal care will be mostly provided at home virtually. As the healthcare sector would focus more on remote care, and in-person visits get reduced gradually, the shift from physical to virtual consulting will be visible. Better exposure to technological advancements and improved services will be the outcome of integrating virtual healthcare technology into your existing system. 

As a leading mobile app development company, we have served many healthcare organizations with customized app solutions. Our in-house team of experienced app developers can use cutting-edge tools to make HIPAA-compliant healthcare apps with desired features and excellent functionality.