Everyone understands the challenges currently being faced in the healthcare industry. These include an ageing population, increasing constraints on budgets and more lifestyle-related ill health. As a result, there is more demand for healthcare services but fewer resources to handle them.
Digital healthcare is relatively new but it uses technology to guarantee sustainable healthcare with there being a growing challenge. Digital healthcare achieves this through increasing efficiency in the established processes such as medical and administrative. It also promotes positive behaviours related to health and also increases the effectiveness of the therapeutic procedures and processes.
For instance, there apps that reward people for performing beneficial behaviours. There are also web portals where you can book appointments or order prescriptions. There are devices that can track and monitor patients remotely. However, with these technological advancements, the digital healthcare market is still not growing as rapidly as expected.
Here are the best steps to remedy this.
1. Advertisement
With the size and complexity of the NHS, they need to increase the uptake of the digital healthcare products. If the digital healthcare niche should improve, it’s important to look elsewhere for the much needed help. The leadership in this sector can be sourced from the high street, the third sector (for example RTT Solutions) and the general public.
With the increasing demand for healthcare services, people are ready to adopt unconventional and new approaches to meet their needs. The third sector will accept a bigger role in the provision of healthcare and overall wellbeing services within the community served.
On the other hand, high street will follow the consumer demand to provide a new and different type of healthcare. People who can afford it will hit the shops and those who can’t will turn to the community networks such as patient groups or housing associations.
It’s already happening. For instance, a social landlord in the north of Scotland created a smartphone app to enable the elderly and vulnerable people to access the basic support services. That way, they can maintain and independent home life. On the other hand, high street pharmacies and supermarkets in the UK have introduced self-help kiosks and drop-in facilities.
With there being current and impending challenges and technological progress, new participants have joined the healthcare marketplace. With each participant providing insight, innovation, ideas and resources. Also, they create different relationships with the general public.
Through combining various consumer products like tablets, smartphones and televisions with the healthcare department, there is a notable change. For instance, people can now find value in receiving a different service based on convenience, efficiency, effectiveness and personal need.
If it becomes a reality sooner, especially when there is a peak in the public demand for services, people will be in a much better position to address the increasing medical and social challenges of the modern life such as diabetes, obesity, loneliness and mental health.
The predicted market trajectory for any digital healthcare will provide significant relief to the existing healthcare services that are becoming unsustainable. It is blurring the lines between private and state provisions. New providers using digital healthcare can support a future where everyone has unfettered access to the best healthcare. Actually, they can enjoy something that suits their lifestyle and pockets.
Of course, the challenges are too big for the future generations to depend on a single source of healthcare services. We should be prepared to welcome new providers and their unmatched potential to bring healthcare to the digital age.