The Hottest Digital Trends in the Health Care Industry

Posted on Dec 16 2014 - 2:06pm by Editor

The idea of meeting with a doctor online was once just a far flung dream. Thanks to some of the newest digital trends in the health care industry, patients really can meet with doctors online. With manufacturers constantly releasing new devices onto the market and technology constantly changing, patients and doctors can now work together to ensure they are healthy. The success of some new programs leads many experts to think those programs will continue in the future.

Health Care Industry

Mental Health Counseling Over Skype

Skype functions like a webcam did with both full color video and clear audio sound. Many doctors and psychologists around the world now use Skype and similar programs as a way to remain in touch with patients. Patients can now make appointments online and use those programs to remain in touch with doctors. They can attend counseling sessions, talk about the problems and issues that they have and get feedback from a licensed doctor. This also helps medical professionals cut down on their operating costs. They can now meet with patients from home instead of opening an office.

Crowd Sourcing Trials

Researchers use clinical studies and trials as a way to see how different medications affect people and to better understand different diseases. This once required that patients go to testing centers and laboratories a few times a week, and some studies required that patients lived on-site for days or weeks. With crowd sourcing, researchers can get the information that they need and make things easier on patients. Though patients will still meet with doctors, they then have the chance to submit feedback and talk about their experiences from home. Crowd sourcing can also reduce the amount of money spent on medical research every year.

Remote Monitoring Systems

Smart watches are one of the hottest trends of today. Similar to a small tablet or smartphone, these watches let users track the calories they eat, how much exercise they get and other factors relating to their health. Doctors can use those watches and similar devices as remote monitoring systems. This lets doctors keep an eye on their patients and see if they follow any recommendations or rules given to them and ensure that patients stay healthy. Some systems even let doctors see if patients take all the medications necessary to control their medical conditions.

Online Appointments

Maxim Gorin, a top name in the health care industry, found that online appointments are another hot digital trend. Getting an appointment with a doctor can take some time, and patients without insurance might spend hundreds of dollars just to see a doctor about a routine medical problem. Online appointments can cost $100 or less and let a patient meet with a professional doctor. Doctors can even phone in prescriptions for patients or give them a referral to a local doctor. Some online doctors will even work with patients suffering from diabetes and other long-term medical conditions.

The days of spending 30 minutes or longer in a waiting room and wasting hundreds of dollars to see a doctor are now obsolete. Thanks to online appointments, patients can meet with counselors and medical doctors from the comfort of their homes. Other trends in the health care industry let doctors monitor patients and researchers learn more about specific diseases.