During the pandemic, some countries have leveraged big data’s predictive power to keep the wide spread of the pandemic in check. This is an example of how the technology can be used under the banner of eHealth to save millions of people around the world. Since 1960, World Bank data illustrates that life expectancy has risen by 20 years, and who knows if soon humans could live up to 150?
As per Gregory Stock, biophysicist and former director of the Program on Medicine, Technology, and Society at UCLA (University of California), it could well happen. We all know for sure that if people are to live longer and better, we will have to depend or take support on research and technology, the same combination that has managed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. But, do you know what eHealth is. The E-healthcare system is an emerging field that uses information and communication advancements in the healthcare domain. Let’s see it in detail.
Here are few widespread solutions that eHealth offer:
Telehealth
Patients in remote areas with limited can get the medical attention whenever they need. It saves time, money, and travel for both doctors and patients.
Applications
Having certain mobile apps dedicated to health turns your phones into personal trainers, sleep monitors, and more, with applications for both doctors and patients.
Serious Games
These particular video games are used as a learning resource for healthcare professionals and students to enhance their training.
Wearables
The well-known term wearables include smart clothing and accessories like wristbands, glasses, and watches to monitor and collect data of health and physical condition of the patient. Like in common words, it is called a smartwatch. Haha! I purchased it once, and it works like wonders.
Augmented reality (AR)
AR can help health professionals to visualize organs in 3D. Even it allows doctors to look at the organs properly during surgeries.
Having a digital health record meansdata can be stored in one place but be available anywhere so that patients can share it safely and healthcare staff can access it at any time, and he should have a smartphone with him.
So, these are some of the digital health services that you can use.
ehealth Benefits
Do you know what the unquestionable benefits of eHealth are? There are so many benefits. Let’s see them one by one:
Enhanced patient monitoring
Communication is more accessible with this new digital channel.
It also means the patient’s condition can be monitored, and their progress can be recorded in real-time.
More informed patients
Patients can make better health decisions.
ICTs also provide you with access to guide books and best practice that is very useful.
Developing healthier habits
Now, by using certain apps on your devices, you can keep track of what you have to eat, how much exercise you have to do, how long or soundly you sleep, and how fast your heart rate is.
Fast and Easier decision-making
ICTs help to identify optimal treatments more easily or detect illnesses at an early stage.
Widely accessible
Wide access to healthcare is no longer limited by time and space.
So, technology brings healthcare to more people, especially patients who have the risk, which means equal opportunities for everyone.
These are few advantages of eHealth, and in the pandemic, it has helped many of us.
Key challenges Of eHealth?
Without a doubt, everything in this universe has both advantages and disadvantages. So, let’s see some of the disadvantages of eHealth:
- Lack of awareness about the value of medical informatics and e-health in health services development.
- Lack of clarity among the health agencies that are responsible for providing health care services.
- Inability to cover the costs of e-health technology growth and implementation.
- Lack of experience and lack of excellent and qualified human capabilities in medical information.
- Lack of communication and linkage between the various health sectors.
So, these are some of the challenges of eHealth, and for sure, it’s essential to overcome these challenges to become successful in it.
Overcome eHealth Challenges
- Develop a clear vision for the Ministry centred on evidence and including both existing and future needs in a strategic plan.
- Emphasize more on the concept of electronic health files.
- Ensure full coordination between all health-care industries and providers.
- Establish the profession’s eHealth and ethical guidelines, rules, and regulations, with a focus on patient confidentiality and data protection.
- Increase public awareness of information, particularly about medical informatics, among all segments of society.
There are some new technologies in health. Can you name them?
So, let’s see them one by one:
Internet of Things (IoT)
It helps to customize healthcare, save costs, reduce the likelihood of incorrect diagnosis and shorten waiting times.
Big data
Utilizing big data to perform macro data analysis allows for tailored treatments and helps detect the risk factors and potential side effects of the medications.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI can help healthcare professionals to make wiser decisions and deliver better treatments. During the pandemic, AI was used to identify antibodies’ sequence and their compatibility with future therapies.
Blockchain
It affords safe access to a patient’s health record, which makes a more efficient administration.
Chatbots
It provides a tool to pave the wat to a faster and more direct doctor-patient interaction. WHO has set up one of these channels during the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, these are some of the new technologies in health, and without a doubt, it’s helping a lot, especially in this pandemic when it’s difficult to visit a doctor physically.
Bottom Line
The world has seen considerable developments in recent years in terms of technology. The healthcare system’s progressions are one aspect that has given rise to the standards in the facilities provided to patients across the world. E- healthcare system has undoubtedly proven to be one such development that has provided a lot of ease to its users. It makes it convenient for the patients to save and record their health data.However, all this data’s privacy is vital to be kept safe, for which the respective healthcare organization needs to ensure the execution of important safety measures. Imagining life without technology is challenging.
