WILL TELEMEDICINE IMPROVE HEALTHCARE FOR OUR OLDER PATIENTS?

Our Latest E-Magazine Takes a Look At Telemedicine for the Elderly

Advances in medical technology in recent years have given telemedicine a much needed 21st century makeover that could see it provide better and cheaper healthcare to our older patients. Ageing populations and the increasing cost of healthcare is contributing to the resurgence of telemedicine, this revival is being facilitated by developments in cloud-based platforms, telemedicine carts and secure e-record systems.

The benefits of telemedicine include improved access to services, reduced healthcare costs and provision of care not previously deliverable. However there are also downsides such as issues of confidentiality due to increased access to patient records and additional organizational and bureaucratic hurdles.

In spite of these perceived difficulties, Accenture recently reported that a majority of the growing elderly population would be happy to receive healthcare at home. Telemedicine carts such as Avizia’s CA300 and devices like Philip’s Telestation are facilitating an extensive range of remote medical encounters.