Healthcare in the 21st century is heavily dependent on technology. In recent years, technological advancements have brought some significant changes in India’s healthcare sector. These developments are aimed at improving the access to healthcare for the masses living in the rural and urban areas. The progressive technology has benefited the way medical care is delivered, and services like patient registration and data monitoring are just a click away.
Patients can now consult doctors online at docprime.com and learn about the causes, treatments and other aspects of the concerned health conditions.
Let’s explore some of the technological innovations that are changing lives in India and the trends that are shaping this sector.
1. Benefits of mHealth: The practice of medicine and public health when supported by smartphones is known as mobile health or mHealth. This technology has the potential to overcome the challenges related to cost, quality and accessibility of healthcare facilities.
According to the statistics, nearly 80% of doctors use mobiles and medical apps, out of which 25% of them use this technique to provide patient care. With the help of this facility, people have instant access to health information and details of local service providers.
These health apps provide improved access to diagnose conditions such as malaria, diabetes and HIV AIDS and make it easier to allocate resources.
2. Saving time with telemedicine: Telemedicine services are one of the rising facets of the healthcare industry. Services like video-conferencing are considered to be cost-effective for those living in rural areas and are in need of guidance for medical care.
The use of telemedicine has reduced the number of hospitalizations and reduced the number of patients visiting the hospitals. With the help of telemedicine, the most experienced doctors can effectively offer their services to patients who are living far off. Using this facility, nearly 70% of outpatients do not need to be in front of the doctor in order to be diagnosed.
It is now possible for the employees to get medical consultation for a non-emergency health issue without leaving the office and computer. This also saves direct health costs, this helps in reducing absenteeism and increasing their productivity.
3. Easier payment methods: With the help of a mobile money transfer system, M-Pesa has made paying for the treatment and accessing funds easier. In 2015, a health payment service is launched called M-Tiba.
This adds safe health wallets to M-Pesa, where masses can keep their funds aside for their own and the health needs of their family members. These facilities are enabling improved healthcare service to slum dwellers and have potential to make healthcare inclusive.
4. Technology in operation: In recent years, medical technology has evolved from introducing doctors to latest equipment inside the private hospitals that helps in connecting patients and doctors through telecommunication.
More and more hospitals are using medical technology on the job, physicians have access to any type of information they are looking for such as drug information and patient history. Applications that help in identifying the health threats and analyzing the digital information like x-rays and CT scans also contribute to benefits of technology.
5. Tracking health with wearable: The wearable health-tracking technology has potential in increasing the health services and helps in reducing costs. Smartwatches and wristbands are widely used devices in this category. Smartwatches are expected to reduce the need for smartphones, while wristbands come equipped with health monitoring features that allow doctors to keep a track of their patients. This provides a quicker and more accurate diagnosis that eliminates the risks of certain illnesses.
6. Reducing inefficiency with digitized data: The digitized systems are helping in improving the efficiency from patient care to drug management. This keeps the costs under control and you can see a reduction in the medical bills.
The healthcare providers that have switched to digital records are protecting their employee’s welfare by keeping a track of their medical history that leads to reduced costs. The digital health data is helping the organizations to educate their employees in disease prevention and reducing the need for medical care.
7. Reaching patients with digital marketing: In the current scenario, patients are experiencing huge healthcare costs and are easily exposed to online information where they can easily choose a healthcare provider.
The digital marketing is now enabling to target micro-niche targeted ads that are most people are searching for specific conditions or medical speciality. Effectively targeted digital marketing costs can cost less per new patient than traditional marketing.
As people spend more time online, it makes sense that digital marketing will overall have a great impact.
Healthcare providers can use technology by making these following steps:
1. Enhancing the medical supply chain for efficiency.
2. Automating insurance claims processing
3. Using digital marketing for acquiring new customers reduces costs
The changes offered by the technology serve reduced costs by improving productivity and improving the patient-staff retention.