How will Telemedicine change during and after the COVID-19 pandemic?

Due to the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID‐19), Telemedicine is now a key means of delivering clinical treatment. Telemedicine Providers will help monitor the Covid-19 patient, provide adequate medication, and supervise follow-up care using the technology. 

This reduced the virus spread and kept urgent care centers, local doctors’ offices, and the emergency services available and free for emergencies that require medical care in person, such as intravenous fluids, X-rays, stitches, etc.

What to look into telemedicine future?

When we look in the future after the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a chance to explore the role of Telemedicine in routine patient care. Telemedicine will enhance patient safety and efficiency, as well as change the way we treat patients. 

Other than COVID‐19, Telemedicine will fix many issues, including inequalities in quality and access to medical care both in urban and rural areas and increasing healthcare costs. 

Telemedicine has been able to increase access and reduce healthcare costs. Instead of pushing most patients and clinicians into a remote delivery model, as we had during the pandemic, we should use Telemedicine strategically where it is most suitable.

At the beginning of COVID-19 and just in a few days, it became clear that:

A significant proportion of patient’s visits in different settings can be effectively managed from a distance. Telemedicine services can be assessed without affecting the wellbeing or care of patients who are residing far away.

The necessary logistics can be developed quickly, including the required training, staffing, and workflow with minimum disruption or dislocations where possible.

Telemedicine can provide important help for the doctor’s practice by streamlining its work and making it easier for patients to visit. The Covid-19 pandemic has intensified its impact. We are waiting to develop online networks that can better serve conventional medical practice and take account of various medical professionals’ perspectives.

The Indian Health Ministry should encourage the greater use of Telemedicine and other emerging technology to provide its clinical services, and should it be properly used. The Indian Public Health Service would gain a benefit.

Recently, India’s Government has initiated the NDHM when a COVID-19 pandemic is hitting the world. The main feature is that NDHM issues a health ID for residents. Such an ID makes the use of health care significantly easier and stress-free.

What are the effects of NDHM?

  • This would allow people to store and view health information, to provide them more accurate information, and to allow them to monitor their private health records.
  • It helps to develop an integrated digital health infrastructure
  • It enhances the performance of a health care initiative dramatically.
  • It will put together a range of stakeholders: physicians, health care suppliers, and technology solutions, Telemedicine and e-pharmacy, and, above all, residents.
  • Universal health insurance and financial risk insurance access to high-quality health care services, medications, and vaccines for everyone.


The challenge for researchers, suppliers in Telemedicine lies in learning from this experience, ensuring that the appropriate guards are in place, and collecting the required evidence to construct the future health system. 

The model of an optimized care system would involve institutional, operational, and functional improvements to maximize the efficiency, accuracy, increased access, and efficient outreach of numerous developments in and outside of medicine. Telemedicine includes the instruments needed to organize and incorporate these functions.

Conclusion:

Finally, by simplifying and promoting their practice, Telemedicine may provide important help for the doctor’s practice. In this respect, the Covid-19 pandemic is constructive feedback to speeding up and enhancing these methods.