The COVID-19 pandemic has tested healthcare systems across the world like never before. All systems have been stretched extensively in order to cope with this crisis. With this unprecedented event, different countries have adopted various approaches in order to help the maximum number of people without exhausting the healthcare resources they have. While many advanced countries have relied on technology to get them out of this crisis, several others have tried a more traditional approach.
While it still is a mystery which approach has proven to be the winner, there’s one thing everyone will mutually agree on: the healthcare system will be changed forever after this pandemic. Many predict that the different approaches adopted by the health industry will become the new normal in a post-COVID-19 world.
What forced healthcare systems to adopt new methods was the influx of hundreds of new coronavirus patients, while the number of people being diagnosed with other diseases also refused to go down at the same time.
It had long been argued that diagnosis and care can be offered to people digitally in order to save precious time and also keep hospitals available for more critical patients. Health companies were gradually taking to this method of delivering care, but this pandemic has forced them to increase their efforts at a much quicker pace. The present crisis will surely be remembered as one of the worst in human history, but at the same time, it will also surely be remembered as a period that digitized healthcare and brought care to the doorsteps of every person on the planet.
Companies have had to come up with new ideas to encourage more people to use online platforms so that they could relieve doctors from the stress of in-person consultations at a time when they are already overburdened with patients. As the pandemic moves across the world, tech companies are stepping up to create online health platforms with health companies. They’ve been coming up with new ideas to tackle the pandemic:
- The creation of a universal health portal is the need of the hour. However, given the urgency to tackle this crisis, one cannot expect that such a portal will develop any time soon. Online health companies in many countries have come up with technology that can aid them in keeping tabs on people who are suspected to be infected by COVID-19 in different areas. The information regarding the number of patients undergoing treatment, those infected, and areas that could turn into potential hotspots are regularly updated on a national scale.
- Countries like South Korea have used technology on a massive scale to enhance contact tracing. This has helped them focus their healthcare resources on areas that could see an increase in the number of those infected.
- Several countries have used smartphone technology to come up with apps that can keep track of the country’s COVID-19 statistics. These apps have been developed in closed consultation with experts in the health industry. Places that have used such apps, like South Korea and India, have managed to protect their healthcare systems from getting overburdened by assisting people in self-diagnosing their symptoms. In fact, Aarogya Setu Appin India, launched to help people analyze the gravity of their proximity, is the world’s highest downloaded app. If this technology is used extensively, monitoring people becomes much easier for those tasked with conducting tests and treatments.
- Within hospitals, the use of technology has increased significantly. Storing records of patients and their treatments in a central database allows doctors and nurses to remotely access these records and provide care in an efficient manner whenever required.
- In a time where most industries are looking at massive losses, telemedicine is experiencing a boom like never before. With people being scared to venture out of their homes to visit hospitals, many are going to telemedicine companies’ online health portals to consult doctors. There is an increase in the waiting time for a consultation, but that hasn’t deterred people from opting for online consultations. Triaging apps have helped reduce unnecessary crowding in clinics and hospitals, as only those asked by doctors to come in do so. Telemedicine has immense potential that can reshape the entire healthcare industry. From better screening to remote communication between doctors and patients during emergencies, the possibilities of its application are endless.
- Everyone across the globe is being advised to stay indoors. People are trying to step out as little as possible. Companies like PharmEasy have been a source of great relief to people, as all of their important medications are delivered to their doorsteps without them having to worry about being overcharged or getting poor-quality medicines.
So much has already been done to incorporate technology into healthcare, but there is still a lot left to do. Better governance, better accessibility, and more secure portals are some of the basics that need to be looked into. This pandemic will be remembered for many things in the future, one of them being the age when healthcare systems were reshaped forever by technology.
