What is Virtual Healthcare: Benefits of Virtual Healthcare

What is Virtual Healthcare?  

Virtual Healthcare refers to using digital technology and software programs for healthcare provider to see their patients remotely and provide quality care, regardless of their geographic location. It can be accessed through digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers. It allows patients, doctors, and other healthcare providers to interact and consult online mutually. They offer convenience and better access to facilities virtually. It is a booming field in this era where people spend more time online. COVID-19 was a trigger, and then virtual healthcare gained momentum. Patients can video-chat with a physician or specialist instead of physically going to the doctor's office. It improves interactions between healthcare providers and patients using various mobile apps, software applications, and video conferencing.  

While people feel that telehealth is the same as virtual health, it is untrue. 

There is a difference between virtual and telehealth. Telehealth is a broader umbrella under which virtual health falls. Virtual health is the collaboration between healthcare providers and their patients to diagnose, monitor, and treat illnesses. This is part of virtual management, whereas telehealth delivers medicines and portable equipment. Virtual care is a form of telehealth that uses technology to communicate in real time. At the same time, telehealth also includes other remote healthcare services such as remote patient monitoring and provider training.   

Virtual healthcare is a meeting between a healthcare provider and a patient remotely, it is not just giving a diagnosis, but monitoring the patient over a long period of time. Virtual healthcare is practised using a set of digital tools and devices that can be used by healthcare providers to improve the quality of patient care. 

Benefits of Virtual Healthcare:   

• Increases patient accessibility and engagement: Patient engagement can be increased by allowing patients and healthcare providers to communicate in a flow and by sharing important health information via patient portals or teleconferencing. Patients and healthcare providers who are comfortable with virtual meetings and are willing to use communication and information technologies for clinical services are more likely to find satisfaction in their healthcare.  

The survey believes that virtual healthcare improves the quality of healthcare for patients. They also report shorter waiting times, improved compliance with treatment plans, and fewer missed appointments.  

• Decreases cost and travel expense: A study shows that a virtual appointment can save travelling time to a large extent and patients can comfortably sit in their house and avoid long waiting periods at the doctor's office.  
• Facilitates patient convenience: Virtual healthcare benefits patients who are unwell and want to avoid driving/traveling to the doctor’s place. It is also helpful for the healthcare provider to allow him/her to work from home or any other place at his/her convenience.  
• Decrease the spread of infectious diseases: Virtual healthcare significantly reduces the chances of catching infections and reduces the risk of viral exposure   
• Other benefits of Virtual Healthcare: Healthcare IT services are continuously booming, and healthcare apps are widely used by healthcare providers to extract huge amounts of data for further research in healthcare.  

- Virtual care apps use artificial intelligence to provide doctors with a clearer picture of the symptoms and infections of patients. They can accurately diagnose patients, provide virtual medical assistance, and treat them without meeting them personally. According to research conducted by the University of British Columbia, AI models can predict cancer patient survival rates with an accuracy of more than 80%. It allows healthcare professionals to suggest that patients pursue aggressive treatment plans.  

Virtual healthcare is a major help to the geriatric age group of patients, as they cannot commute easily. Also, there is an advantage that the healthcare provider can monitor them online 24/7.  

- It is cost-effective and takes less energy and time to consult many healthcare experts for the opinion.  

Challenges of Virtual health: 

While virtual healthcare has many benefits, it also has disadvantages. Virtual healthcare doesn't give the satisfaction of one-to-one consultation. Many virtual healthcare providers might store digital copies in unsecure settings, which makes them vulnerable to identity theft and hacking. Many healthcare solution providers don't provide their clients with enough continuity of care, which is important when sudden changes in health status require quick decisions about treatment options.  

Who can use virtual health?  

Virtual health is available to consumers, doctors, and hospitals. Consumers can use it to connect with doctors or other healthcare providers to get diagnosed and help them manage chronic conditions that require regular check-ins.  

Physicians can use it to monitor patients remotely, improve disease management, and provide proactive care recommendations.  

Hospitals can use virtual health to treat patients who cannot travel for medical care, to deliver clinical supervision remotely, and to allow remote caregivers real-time support during medical procedures.  

Patients needing ongoing follow-ups can avoid hospital visits and  

Virtual healthcare is widely sought by patients for regular counselling and mental health support. 

Future of Virtual Healthcare: 

• The healthcare industry is ever expanding, and to keep up with the trend, it needs to go virtual when needed. It is open to experimenting with various digital healthcare apps and innovative technology to provide healthcare services to its customers. 
• As patients start using this technology, they can decide which situations can be handled virtually and which require a personal visit. Thus, in the future, it could be categorized and customized according to consumers' requirements. 
• Elderly and geriatric patients will benefit from virtual healthcare, as they mostly have caregivers at home and can be guided virtually by a healthcare expert. 
• AI will play a major role in early diagnosis of images and reports and in guiding the basic treatment plan. Healthcare experts will have to analyse the accuracy of the treatment based on their expertise. Thus, AI will play a major role in virtual healthcare in the future.  
• With digital technology booming, wearable devices will be integrated into healthcare delivery systems, resulting in a more extensive personalised virtual health experience for patients. 
• Robotics and automation can assist physicians in mundane administrative and routine tasks, allowing more time to treat and interact face-to-face with patients online.  

Virtual healthcare has the potential to touch all the Cs in healthcare:  

Connectivity, Continuity, Coordination, and Care. Virtual healthcare allows health stakeholders and patients to share data and content and perform personalised interactions remotely, allowing for convenient, high-quality access to care that can enhance provider-patient interactions. In the future of healthcare, virtual healthcare seems to be the default option for patients' well-being and care. 

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FAQs: 

Q.1 How does virtual healthcare work? 

Virtual health is simply the meeting of a healthcare provider and a patient remotely using mobile apps, software, and videoconferencing using laptops, tablets, mobile phones, or desktops. 

Q.2 Is virtual healthcare secure? 

While overall virtual healthcare is safe, some providers might be storing digital copies in unsecure settings, which makes them vulnerable to identity theft and hacking. 

Q.3 Can I get prescription through virtual healthcare? 

Yes, you can get an electronic prescription via email or message virtually and get the medicine from the pharmacy. 

Q.4 What types of health issues can be treated virtually? 

A wide range of diseases can be treated virtually, including colds, coughs, fevers, acute gastric disturbances, metabolic diseases, geriatric illnesses, mental health diseases, and many others, except for emergency treatment, which requires hospital administration. 

Q.5 Is virtual healthcare available 24/7? 

Yes, virtual health is available 24/7. The healthcare provider and the patient can discuss it and decide on availability.