More Seniors Are Warming Up To Telemedicine

Telemedicine is a term used in the healthcare industry to define the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients via telecommunication channels such as web or mobile platforms.

Essentially, it allows people to access healthcare from anywhere, provided they have access to the internet and a device that makes this possible.

Most commonly, telemedicine is used to refer to apps or websites that allow patients to communicate remotely with medical professionals, but this isn’t their only function.

The term also covers devices that allow people to remotely monitor their health, like smartwatches, and more complex medical devices that allow real time information to be shared with physicians while the patient continues with their normal lifestyle.

Originally reserved for those living in rural locations without access to in-person healthcare facilities, it has since gained popularity among the mainstream healthcare community, too.

In fact, use of telemedicine surged by 53 percent between 2016 and 2017, with the growth in use of these technologies continuing to soar.

For a lot of people in the healthcare industry, these technologies are used with the connected telemedicine model in mind. This is a socio-technical model for healthcare management and delivery that involves using technology to provide healthcare services remotely.

According to Orthogonal, continued advancements in medical software and telemedicine are continually driving higher expectations from connected telemedicine as they are already making it easier for a doctor to diagnose diseases and conditions and determine appropriate treatment methods faster.

Connected telemedicine also aims to maximize healthcare resources and provide increased, flexible opportunities for consumers to engage with clinicians in a way that helps individuals better self-manage their care.

This is great news for the elderly, who often find themselves needing to access healthcare facilities more regularly due to their declining health or chronic conditions they have developed with age.

By using connected telemedicine to help them better self-manage their care, individuals are regaining their independence and can continue with their ordinary lifestyles for longer.

With this considered, it’s easy to see why many seniors are warming up to telemedicine.

Telemedicine – The New Norm In Healthcare Settings

As previously mentioned, one of the primary uses of telemedicine is to bring effective healthcare to those living in rural locations. Those living in these locations may only have access to smaller clinics who offer very limited healthcare services to residents.

By using telemedicine, these clinics are able to bring specialised services to individuals without them having to go out of their way to visit a larger healthcare facility.

One company bringing services to smaller communities is Regroup, a telepsychiatry startup that provides remote psychiatric professionals.

Through RegroupConnect, individuals living in rural areas are able to come to their local clinic to speak completely confidentially to the same professional each week, allowing them to build up a relationship with the professional in question. Clinicians within the clinic will then provide support by completing any follow-up lab tests or fulfilling drug prescriptions.

It isn’t just small establishments who are benefiting from telemedicine, however, with HealthcareWeekly reporting that over 70 percent of healthcare businesses have implemented telemedicine in some way.

These businesses include major hospitals like Upstate University In New York and JC Blair Memorial Hospital in West Virginia, who both use connected telemedicine to provide their patients with the best experiences possible.

Real-time, Convenient Care for Seniors

You might think that telemedicine was created with millennials in mind, but this isn’t necessarily the case.

In fact, there is some research that suggests the older generation, including baby boomers and even older than this, are also adopting the use of cell phones and the internet for their healthcare related needs.

This research suggests that baby boomers are rivalling millennials in terms of usage of these apps and websites.

It’s thought that this is because while the typical millennial may be more likely to use technology they are less likely to need the healthcare apps available, whereas a baby boomer is the opposite.

It’s thought that seniors are warming up to telemedicine for three main reasons: convenience, health, and independence.

The same study mentioned above found that 74% of baby boomers said they would be open to virtual care because they felt it would be more convenient than in-person visits.

A smaller but respectable 40% of people said that they would also consider using telemedicine apps as a way of reducing their risk of getting sick from other patients.

This allows people to remain independent as it reduces hospital admissions and gives seniors a great way of taking more control over their health.

Some companies are going above and beyond to facilitate the usage of their platforms among their customers. For example, HelloAlvin is one of the first telemedicine companies which allow users to enroll in their service via text messages instead of downloading an app promising customers they can get on a call with a doctor in less than 5 minutes. This shows the lengths telemedicine services go to in order to ensure the customer experience is as frictionless as possible.  

Barriers To A Faster Adoption

Although seniors are warming up to telemedicine and are beginning to see the benefits of the new technology, there are some factors that stand in the way of telemedicine transforming the way we handle senior healthcare for good.

One of the big barriers at the moment is the fact that American laws have failed to catch up with this technology in two major ways.

The first is that most doctors are only licenced to practice in their current state of residence, making it harder for professionals to operate on these apps and for telemedicine companies to create a sufficient supply of doctors for the demand currently out there for telemedicine services.

Digital Authority Partners also reports that there is currently no federal law in regards to billing, giving no distinction of regulation to the prices telemedicine companies charge.

Though some states have passed laws requiring equal reimbursements for doctors regardless of whether an in-person visit or telemedicine consultation takes place, this is done on an individual basis and does not set clear expectations for the industry and those using it.

Another barrier is a fear among medical professionals that there is a higher possibility of misdiagnosing patients as it is impossible to assess them in person as Simon Stertzer, renowned cardiologist points out.

Being reliant on patients and other methods that are out of their control from a remote location, there is no way to tell the accuracy of the information they are being provided with.

Conclusion

As you can see, telemedicine is the perfect solution for seniors. Offering a more convenient way of monitoring existing, chronic conditions and reporting symptoms of new ones, it’s easy to see why many are warming up to this new way of doing things.

It also makes things easier for those living in rural locations, allowing them to continue living the lifestyle they are used to instead of moving for the quality of healthcare they can receive as their health deteriorates.

With that being said, there are still strides that need to made in terms of trust and legislation within the industry to make sure that it is accessible and accepted by larger society on the whole.

Though we are still at the beginning, however, reactions from the older generations have been positive, and it’s thought that more seniors will continue to jump on board as developments within this area of healthcare continues.