The use of telehealth services rose drastically in the wake of COVID-19, as physicians quickly transitioned in-person visits to virtual. This shift to virtual healthcare is likely to continue, as it offers numerous benefits for patients and healthcare providers alike.
What is virtual healthcare?
Virtual healthcare is patient care delivery using information and communication technologies. It includes:
Telehealth
The use of telecommunications technologies to deliver health and wellness services
Mobile health (mHealth)
Telehealth services delivered to patients using mobile devices and wireless networks
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
Continuous or periodic monitoring of vitals regardless of patient location
Assessing the telehealth landscape
- 76% of patients are interested in using telehealth.
- 57% of healthcare providers favor telehealth more than they did pre-COVID-19.
- 64% of caregivers are more comfortable using telehealth than before the pandemic.
Primed for growth
- 7x growth is expected in telehealth by 2025.
- $250B of current U.S. healthcare spending could be virtualized.
Telehealth advantages
Benefits for patients
- Delivers convenience and efficiency
- Facilitates early and timely diagnoses
- Avoids preventable readmissions
Benefits for caregivers
- Ability to scale services and see more patients
- More accurate data from outpatient visits
- Increased quality of care
What about security?
- 60% of consumers fear telemedicine and fitness trackers due to privacy concerns.
- 80% of organizations rely on security from multiple vendors.
Organizations working with a single security vendor reap:
- 50% savings in downtime costs
- 20% savings in data loss expenses
Ways to increase telehealth security
A multilayered approach offers the best defense:
- Physical security
- Staff training
- Network security
- Endpoint security
- Data protection
- Data recovery
How Dell Technologies can help
Virtual health solutions
- Streamline workflows.
- Improve patient safety.
- Inform caregivers to make better clinical decisions.
Security solutions
- Provide a comprehensive approach to endpoint threat management.
- Intelligent security is built into every touchpoint, factoring in users, identities, devices, assets and data.
Sources:
Bestsennyy, O., Gilbert, G., Harris, A. and Rost, J. (2020, May 29). Telehealth: A Quarter-Trillion-Dollar Post-COVID-19 Reality? McKinsey & Co.
Davis, J. (2020, Jan. 7). Consumer Adoption of Health Tech Slowed by Privacy, Security Concerns. Health IT Security.