Healthcare in the home was previously thought of as a luxury accessible only by a few. Advancements in technology have changed that landscape entirely. Technology and its greater availability has sparked an era of healthcare digitization all over the world, especially in the United States.
Findings from Grand View Research put the value of the global home healthcare market in 2019 at USD 281.8 billion. Likewise, the global market for home healthcare technology solutions is expected to grow 7.9% annually between 2020 and 2027.
Technology is transforming home healthcare solutions and their services. Home Health Care services can now employ apps for quicker and more effective patient solutions. Individuals can now seek assistance from their doctors from the comfort of their homes. Technology will ease operations of home healthcare companies and will increase the efficiency of sharing information.
So, what technologies are leading this change in the home healthcare industry?
Here are 3 types of technologies that are critical to home healthcare.
Telehealth
As mentioned in a recent study by George Demiris,
“Simple, low-cost technologies can allow health care workers to capture information more efficiently, and sometimes new technologies let them obtain new data”.
- The perspective on telehealth varies among both patients and providers. From the patient’s perspective, telehealth can be understood as being a part of a simple telephone call, being part of an online support group, getting health information online or communicating online with healthcare providers. From the provider’s perspective, the use of telehealth ranges from electronic health records, remote monitoring of vital signs/symptoms to patient visits/consultations by video.
- Home healthcare technology such as telehealth or telemedicine enable consumers to reach out to medical caregivers. Through mobile apps or video conferencing, medical caregivers are only a click away. Among other benefits, telehealth is great for cutting down on traveling for disabled and elderly patients. Telehealth makes space for doctors checking patients from anywhere, any time and sharing their feedback in real-time. Telehealth makes the process of medical caregivers remotely monitoring patients easier as they can keep check on patients in non-emergency situations as well.
- Home Care providers often need to discuss the patient’s condition with their family members. Through secure messaging and video-conferencing, patients and their families stay connected with the provider. Hucu.ai makes this a reality for those in the homecare business. With proven success among homecare agencies, Hucu.ai’s secure messaging app brings together caregivers, patients and their families under one setting.
- Patient/Family Chat rooms in Hucu.ai enable direct communication between care providers and patients at any time, synchronously and asynchronously. Care providers can communicate internally with other team members as well, keeping everyone informed of important patient updates.
- With technology-based solutions, information about patients and important updates regarding their status is just one tap away. Technology facilitates coordination among caregivers because now they can securely discuss important information about a patient in a central channel. For example, Hucu.ai organizes information in patient channels, where multiple clinicians can interact over important patient updates enabling quicker and more effective responses.
- Home Healthcare treats individuals with multiple chronic conditions such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes. Telehealth applications can improve management in high-risk populations through daily monitoring and timely intervention according to the patient’s condition.
Remote Patient Monitoring Tools
- Home Health monitoring devices refer to tools that help keep track of a patient’s well-being. Innovative applications such as these assure individuals that they are being monitored by someone towards a healthy lifestyle. These devices can be linked with one’s smartphone cutting on cost and time in their visit to a doctor. A wide variety of devices exist that can take measurements for blood pressure level, glucose level, heart rate monitoring among others. RPM tools enable caregivers, patients and their families to keep track of healthcare needs and limit any risks involved.
- Technology is a vital part of home health care. Active home telemonitoring devices keep track of vital signs, weights or symptoms, which are then reported to a remote provider or home health agency. On the other hand, passive telemonitoring technologies consist of bed sensors that track restlessness, sleep interruptions or respiration in one’s sleep.
- Tele-monitoring is among recent advances in technology that has had a positive impact on homecare agencies. Through remote patient monitoring devices, the patient’s heart rate, blood pressure and other vitals can be tracked from a distance. This will help limit at-home visits by caregivers and will eventually result in a more independent outlook among their patients.
Virtual Technology
- A broad range of Virtual Technology is assisting both doctors and patients. It is being used to train healthcare professionals in a more realistic environment. Virtual technologies help bridge the gap between elderly patients and young doctors. This offers medical professionals the chance to improve their capabilities. Virtual reality technology holds therapeutic potential as it offers an escape when it comes to one’s physical and mental health.
- Electronic Visit Verification helps electronically verify the services of home health care personnel in terms of caregiver appointments. It comprises the service type an individual asks for, patient information, the healthcare professional’s information, location and the time period for which the service is needed.
- Artificial Intelligence holds a great deal of power and saves lots of time among medical professionals. AI in the healthcare industry allows for the automation of many manual tasks which facilitates caregivers in keeping their focus on the most critical patients and eliminating the risks involved.
- GPS tracking can be useful in situations of emergency. Senior individuals can be tracked by their families or healthcare providers in case they are away from home and are not found.
- The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) offers medical professionals and patients a number of benefits. It limits the chances of error and allows monitoring of the intake and effect of medicines. The use of digital therapy can lower pain such as acupuncture or massages. Biofeedback systems can make it easier for caregivers to keep track of heart rate, temperature, glucose and blood pressure.
“The pandemic placed extreme stress on healthcare systems around the world. If e-learning wasn’t important already, now it has become mission critical for any healthcare organization,” says James Cohen, CEO of Nevvon.
Technology will help teams of caregivers forge links that lead to better communication and greater collaboration among all those involved in delivering care!
Sources
(1.) How is Technology Impacting Home Health Care? Dileep Gupta. July 22, 2022. https://appinventiv.com/blog/technology-impact-on-home-healthcare/
(2.) The Future of Home Health Care: Workshop Summary. Washington (DC):
National Academies Press (US); 2015 Aug 4. Chapter 7/Innovations in Technology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK315926/
(3.) Technology in Home Health Care. Evan Loree. June 8, 2022.
