The pandemic changed a lot of things about the way we live. Not just in the short-term when there were lockdowns and people couldn’t leave the house, but it has had long-term effects too. For example, more people began to work from home and haven’t returned to the office full time and it has changed the healthcare industry considerably too. Why has the pandemic increased the demand for telehealth?
Lockdown
Lockdown stopped people from going anywhere and a trip to the doctors was out of the question. More doctors had to offer telehealth so that they could see their patients and assess them without having to get too close.
Safety
Even now many people don’t like the idea of going to a doctor’s surgery. It is full of ill people and many individuals are still incredibly worried about covid to avoid the waiting room wherever possible. This means that they prefer to use telehealth rather than in-person appointments where they can for their own safety. Doctors like this too because it protects them if they don’t have to see too many patients face to face.
Simplicity
People have realized that it is so much easier to use telehealth than to go to the doctors. They can go to the breakout room or staff canteen when they receive a call rather than having to take time off work to attend an appointment. Their appointment now takes a fraction of the time it used to and for many ailments, this is incredibly convenient. It is now easier than ever to fit a doctor’s appointment into a busy schedule, so it has become extremely popular.
It Saves Money
Doctors’ surgeries lose lots of money when patients simply don’t turn up as they can’t rebook the appointment and they have to wait to see if the patient is not coming or just running late. It is much simpler for them to make a call and see if it gets picked up by the patient. If it doesn’t, they can move on to their next patient seamlessly without wasting too much time.
It Improves Health Outcomes
It might take a lot for a person to take time off work and visit the doctor, therefore they are less likely to seek healthcare until they really need to. However, the outcome of most complaints is better the earlier the condition is picked up so making it simpler to access healthcare will improve the prognosis and may even save time and money as the patient might not need as much care. Many people are opting to try telehealth and it is making an enormous difference to their health outcomes.
Now that the pandemic is more manageable, telehealth is still very popular. Some changes that have been made over the past couple of years have been for the better. So much so that they will become a part of the future. As technology improves, communication for things such as telehealth will get better too. This is one of those excellent improvements that is here to stay.
