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Telehealth and Wearable Devices: Empowering Patients in Self-Care

20/06/2023

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, telehealth has emerged as a transformative force, changing the way patients receive care. Coupled with wearable devices, telehealth offers a powerful combination that empowers patients to actively engage in their own self-care.  This article explores the intersection of telehealth and wearable devices, highlighting their impact on patient engagement, monitoring, and overall healthcare outcomes. The Rise of Wearable Devices Wearable devices, such as fitness trackers, smartwatches, and medical wearables, have gained significant popularity among consumers. These devices provide continuous monitoring, real-time data collection, and insights into individual health metrics. They have increasingly found integration into telehealth settings, allowing for remote patient monitoring and personalized healthcare delivery. While wearable devices offer numerous benefits for patients in self-care, challenges related to data accuracy, device interoperability, and user adoption must be addressed to fully harness their potential. Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring Telehealth platforms seamlessly incorporate wearable device data for remote patient monitoring. This integration enables healthcare providers to remotely monitor patients' health metrics and vital signs in real-time. Continuous data collection and analysis through wearable devices facilitate proactive interventions, allowing for improved chronic disease management and preventive care. Real-life case studies have demonstrated the successful integration of wearable devices into telehealth programs, showcasing positive patient outcomes and enhanced healthcare experiences. Empowering Patients through Self-Monitoring Wearable devices play a pivotal role in encouraging self-monitoring and promoting healthy behaviors among patients. By providing real-time feedback on physical activity, sleep quality, and other health metrics, wearable devices motivate individuals to engage in regular exercise, maintain good sleep hygiene, and adopt healthier lifestyles. Patients can track a wide range of health parameters, including physical activity levels, sleep patterns, heart rate, and blood pressure. Furthermore, wearable devices leverage gamification elements and personalized feedback to enhance patient motivation and engagement, resulting in improved self-care adherence and long-term engagement. Enhancing Chronic Disease Management Wearable devices, when integrated with telehealth solutions, offer significant benefits for managing chronic conditions. For instance, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices enable remote monitoring of patients with diabetes, facilitating timely adjustments in medication or lifestyle interventions. Wearable blood pressure monitors assist in managing hypertension, while smart inhalers help monitor asthma symptoms and medication usage. These devices also improve medication adherence through reminders and alerts, reducing the risk of complications. Continuous monitoring of health metrics allows healthcare providers to detect early signs of health deteriorations, enabling timely interventions and preventing adverse events. Promoting Healthy Lifestyles and Preventive Care Wearable devices act as powerful tools for promoting healthy lifestyles and preventive care. They track physical fitness, weight management, stress levels, and other factors contributing to overall well-being. Integration with telehealth platforms enables personalized health recommendations and interventions based on collected data. Wearable devices can facilitate early detection and prevention of diseases by continuously monitoring health metrics and analyzing trends. By empowering individuals to make positive lifestyle choices and adopt healthier habits, wearable devices contribute to proactive health management and reduce healthcare costs in the long run. Final Thoughts Telehealth and wearable devices have revolutionized patient self-care, offering a personalized and proactive approach to healthcare. By incorporating wearable devices into telehealth practices, patients have the means to actively engage in their health management. However, privacy, security, and ethical considerations must be prioritized to ensure responsible use of wearable devices in self-care. As technology continues to advance, the integration of telehealth and wearable devices holds immense potential to improve patient outcomes and transform the future of healthcare. At France Surgery, we can help you get in touch with a clinician from our network of medical experts in France. Contact us today to find out more. *Image by FitNishMedia from Pixabay

Telemedicine to save healthcare industry $21bn globally by 2025

11/05/2021

Telemedicine will save the healthcare industry a staggering $21 billion in costs by 2025, new research suggests. This represents an increase of over 80% in the next four years, rising from $11 billion in 2021. According to the study by Juniper Research, teleconsultations, a service that enables patients and physicians to interact remotely with patients, will play a key role in enabling these significant savings. However, Juniper cautioned that such savings would be restricted to developed countries where people have access to required devices and suitable Internet connectivity. Indeed, Juniper predicts that North America and Europe will realise over 80% of savings by 2025. The Jupiter report also reveals how telemedicine usage has soared as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with remote consultations rising from over 280 million in 2019, to 348 million in 2020. By taking advantage of telehealth solutions, doctor’s offices have been able to significantly reduce the number of face-to-face appointments they’ve needed to accommodate, cutting the risk of waiting room Covid-19 infections. However, the report did warn that the significant investment required and obligation to abide by data protection laws, such as the US’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), could discourage telemedicine adoption among smaller healthcare providers. “Any deregulation must ensure that patient confidentiality is not undermined,” said research author Adam Wears. “Additionally, we recommend that innovative and emerging teleconsultation services are integrated into existing healthcare technologies, such as electronic health records, to maximise their benefits to healthcare providers.” Jupiter Research’s report, Telemedicine: Emerging Technologies, Regional Readiness & Market Forecasts 2021‑2025, is available here: https://www.juniperresearch.com/researchstore/key-vertical-markets/telemedicine-research-report *Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Telehealth can have a ‘measurable impact’ on local economies - survey

25/02/2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused telehealth to become a bigger economic development concern among local areas. That’s one of the key findings of new research by broadband industry analyst Craig Settles. According to Settles’ Broadband, Local Economies, & the Age of Covid survey -- which polled 200 professionals from economic development departments within local and state governments and economic development agencies across the United States – 40% of respondents indicated that telehealth can have a “measurable impact” on their local economy in terms of attracting medical professionals and reducing unnecessary ER visits. When the same survey was conducted two years ago (in 2019), only about 25% of respondents said the same about telehealth’s potential impact on the medical workforce and ER visits. Moreover, more respondents this year said telehealth can help more mental health services remain local, as well as keep senior citizens living at home longer. Settles says these findings suggest there is money to be made and saved by boosting telehealth capabilities. Specifically, he sees a lot of potential value in local telehealth radiology programs, citing the $1.8 million saved over 10 years by a radiology practice in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “There are serious dollars and cents to be had if you can do this locally, because people don’t have to go all the way to China to get their X-rays, all the various MRIs and so forth,” Settles said. “The forward-thinking communities, especially if they’re a rural area, I would look at starting a radiology practice because there’s money to be made there locally. Obviously, you can’t do this without broadband, but if you’re one of these cities building the network, that should be a main consideration for revenue.”  

Four considerations for healthcare providers looking to offer telehealth solutions

10/12/2020

Telehealth solutions have come into their own during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, adoption of telehealth services has increased by more than 2,000% since last year. With both physicians and patients alike reaping benefits from telehealth solutions, it’s inevitable that some ambulatory care and services will never return to being face-to-face. However, as solutions mature and become more readily adopted, healthcare providers need to realize that a one-size-fits-all approach to telehealth will not afford the best outcomes for patients. Before implementing any telehealth services at all, healthcare providers need to understand: - Who their consumers are? - Where do these consumers live? - What Internet access do they have? - And what is their level of technological literacy? These four considerations are key in helping healthcare providers develop telehealth solutions that are both intuitive and meet their patients’ varying needs. Failure to address these four considerations could lead to telehealth solutions simply not being utilized. Here at France Surgery, we pride ourselves on the transformational telehealth services we provide. It’s our goal to provide our patients with access to SMART healthcare wherever they are and whenever they need it. We understand that what works for one patient won’t necessarily work for another, which is why we never look to take a one-size-fits-all approach.

Philippine charity continues to help cleft patients despite pandemic by utilizing telehealth

26/11/2020

It is estimated that a child is born every 3 minutes with a cleft lip, cleft palate or both worldwide — about one in 500-750 births. Usually, with surgery, a child born with a cleft can have a new, beautiful smile and live a normal life. However, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has meant that affected babies are having even greater difficulty in getting their much-needed cleft treatment. Fortunately, cleft charities are continuing their work by taking advantage of telehealth solutions. One such charity is Smile Train, whose Philippine arm has continued providing ongoing comprehensive cleft care including nutrition, speech therapy and psychological support to patients, despite temporarily postponing surgeries. “This year was a different year because of the Covid pandemic. The last three or four months we saw a drop in the number of cases in many hospital nationwide. Some stopped doing operations. But Smile Train is not just about surgery. What we strive to do is to be able to provide cleft comprehensive care to those who need it whether be it counseling, guidance in terms of how do you breastfeed baby with a cleft or after surgery, what does the child still need, among others,” said Kimmy Coseteng-Flaviano, Country Director of Smile Train Philippines, during a virtual media conference. Flaviano said the charity is also providing psychosocial support to older patients via telehealth, to help boost their self-confidence. Since parents of cleft babies aren’t able to visit clinics resulting to unanswered questions, Smile Train is trying to support them through virtual consultations with their partner surgeons or doctors, or through Facebook Live discussions.

How telehealth reduces the risk of physician burnout

12/11/2020

The impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic has been monumental. But for physicians, nurses and other healthcare practitioners, it’s been particularly difficult. In addition to carrying out their already demanding day jobs, these individuals have had the added stress of coping with social distancing and a surge in patient numbers. It is, therefore, no wonder that a significant proportion of NHS staff in England are concerned about burnout. While it’s not often considered when talking about the benefits of telehealth, such solutions can actually help reduce the risk of physician burnout. Here’s how: - Telehealth helps improve physician work-life balance - Telehealth makes for more optimized schedules - Telehealth reduces the need to commute - Telehealth can help improve physician-patient relationships - Telehealth helps address healthcare coverage gaps, meaning physicians don’t after to overstretch themselves - Telehealth solutions allow physicians more time to look after themselves Healthcare provider burnout is a serious issue. If the very people whose jobs it is to look after us fall ill themselves, how will it bode for the rest of us? You can find out more about the telehealth services provided by us here at France Surgery by contacting us today.

Telehealth solution approved for stroke assessment in Northern Ireland

05/11/2020

Telehealth is probably not the first thing you think of when talking about ways of assessing possible stroke patients in an emergency. But Norther Ireland has just approved exactly such a system, highlighting the traction that telehealth solutions are garnering today. The solution, provided by Health Services Limited (HSL), enables clinicians and patients to have video consultations, with the ultimate goal being to make a diagnosis. Patients still need to visit an A&E department, but when they do the emergency clinicians who receive them can use the telehealth solution to get expert treatment advice remotely from stroke consultants. The solution can be used on tablets, smartphones and laptops, making it different to other virtual stroke assessment tools in the market that rely on external systems to function, the company claims. It has everything built-in that a stroke consultant needs to make an initial diagnosis of the stroke patient. The app also has the functionality to save the patient’s results in their electronic care record. [Related reading: The benefits of electronic health records] Perhaps the biggest benefit of the telehealth solution is that it enables stroke consultants to assess a patient’s condition as soon as possible and relay timely, potentially life-saving advice to their emergency room counterparts. The stroke assessment telehealth solution is already in place in hospitals across Northern Ireland the United Kingdom.

Survey reveals 91% of gastroenterologists are planning to adopt telehealth into their practices

03/11/2020

The wider adoption of telemedicine has been one of the most prominent changes to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, data shows that usage of telehealth services has increased by more than 2,000% since last year. Now, new research shows that the vast majority of gastroenterologists are planning to use telehealth more going forward. According to the survey presented at the annual American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2020 conference, up to 91% of gastroenterologist respondents say they plan to integrate telehealth into their practice following the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the survey revealed that gastroenterologists typically view telehealth in a positive light, with 75% of survey respondents reporting their experience of telehealth solutions has been positive. Only 6% reported a negative experience. As many as 63% of gastroenterologists also said they felt telehealth was more efficient than traditional visits, while 58% considered adding telehealth visits between endoscopic procedures. In terms of barriers to telehealth adoption, the biggest for gastroenterologists was the inability to conduct a physical exam, cited by 44.1%. For 27% of gastroenterologist respondents, this barrier was considered critical. Around two-thirds of respondents said their adoption of telehealth solutions would depend on whether the medium would be covered by appropriate insurance payments (equal to in-person consultations). You can find out more about the telehealth services provided by us here at France Surgery by contacting us today.

Telehealth or face-to-face appointment? The pros & cons of each

27/10/2020

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of patients utilizing telehealth solutions has increased significantly. But with telehealth set to remain a mainstay of healthcare going forward, it begs the questions of what are the pros and cons of telehealth? We’ve listed some of each below to help you make an informed decision. Advantages of telehealth for patients: - Patients can typically get an appointment sooner - Appointments are carried out in the safety of a patient’s home or workplace — saving time and money on gas and parking - Telehealth allows elderly patients and those with reduced mobility, as well as people in rural locations, continued access healthcare services - Telehealth services are designed to be easy to adopt - Recent Medicare rule changes in the United States mean that people in more states are covered and can take advantage of telehealth services as part of their health plans - Telehealth services can often be used via a smartphone - A great way to satisfy post-surgical follow-ups Advantages of telehealth for healthcare providers: - More free time to help the neediest patients - Less overcrowding in doctor’s practices - Easier to implement social distancing guidelines Disadvantages of telehealth: - Not suitable for emergency situations (although tele-ICUs are a thing) - Not suitable for when a clinician needs to physically interact with a patient - Unsuitable for routine vaccinations - Not as intimate as a traditional face-to-face appointment If you’d like to find out more about the telehealth services provided by France Surgery, please get in touch.  

Telehealth in the ER affords better outcomes for both patients and healthcare providers - research

20/10/2020

We’ve written before about how telehealth has come into its own during the Covid-19 pandemic. Adoption of telehealth has allowed patients with less serious ailments to remain at home and seek advice remotely, freeing up clinicians’ precious time to focus on individuals with more pressing healthcare needs. Now, new research shows that when utilized in an ER setting, telehealth solutions can yield positive results for both patients and providers. According to the research published in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research, which looked at emergency room visits in New York from 2010 to 2014, increasing wider use of telehealth in the emergency room can reduce both wait times and patient length of stay. When it came to patient length of stay, telehealth had a positive impact because it allowed for more flexible resource allocation, particularly when there is an ER demand surge and/or supply shortage. Furthermore, adoption of telehealth in ERs also reduces patient wait time, a reality that in turn reduces length of stay. This is a particularly important factor because of the common and nagging problem of overcrowding in ERs. With social distancing guidelines still firmly in place, reducing overcrowding in emergency rooms needs to be a top priority for hospitals.

How telehealth can help this cold and flu season

15/10/2020

The US is entering its annual cold and flu season, but this year there’s the added danger of Covid-19 to contend with. Healthcare providers often struggle to meet the needs of their patients at this time of year, mainly because of increased footfall at their facilities. Add to this the strict social distancing guidelines that are in place across the world and the difficulty of the situation becomes clear. The good news is that more and more care providers are turning to telehealth solutions to help alleviate the flu season rush, as well as adhere to social distancing rules. With telehealth, doctors and physicians can carry out consultations with patients without either having to travel. When diagnosing a patient with the flu, physicians look for the two most common symptoms: a cough and fever. At the height of the flu season, almost every patient presenting with these symptoms will have the flu, which often means an in-person consultation is not necessary in the first instance. Care providers can quickly assess a patient’s symptoms via a virtual consultation and arrange to have a prescription sent to them, saving time and money. While every patient’s case is unique, the ability of telehealth to enable physicians to carry out initial consultations for individuals with flu-like symptoms remotely means the facility’s resources are not impacted. This frees up vital appointment slots for those who need them most and reduces wait times, all the while eliminating the chances of someone contracting Covid-19 or spreading flu while out of their house. If you’d like to find out more about the telehealth services provided by France Surgery, please get in touch.

Many type 1 diabetes patients will continue to use telehealth even after pandemic - study

25/09/2020

Telehealth has helped patients living with chronic conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, continue their care management throughout the pandemic, new research shows. According to the global survey of patients living with type 1 diabetes, many moved to telehealth because in-person doctor visits were curtailed as a result of COVID lockdown restrictions. But even after the pandemic has passed, three-quarters say they will continue to take advantage of telehealth solutions to meet their care management needs. The information, presented this week at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), highlights the value of telehealth platforms in maintaining care management during times of unprecedented disruption to daily life. Furthermore, many patients with chronic conditions will have foregone check-ups throughout the pandemic for fear of becoming infected or adding an extra burden to healthcare providers. Telehealth has a significant role to play hear by helping these individuals re-establish their care routines and get the treatment they require. The study conducted by researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland and supported by Novo Nordisk, involving more than 7,000 people in 89 countries, is published in in the journal Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. “The results … demonstrate that a large number of people living with type 1 diabetes have rapidly adopted telemedicine or plan to in the near future and that this has generally been perceived positively,” the researchers concluded in the study.

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