Covid19 comes with lots of challenges in every respect, in every sector; it has been seen with lots of sufferings as well. There is no exaggeration in saying that Covid19 pandemic is the most clamorous, most catastrophic of our generation. I am sure that most of us must have never witnessed anything else till date which has happened in this pandemic. This crisis surely is one of its kind and has no precedent to it – there are no rulebooks, no standards, what to do, how to shut down economies, when to re-open.
Every sector has witnessed a huge challenge & same has been with the health care. It has been a difficult challenge while seeing patients by a healthcare professional. It is pertinent to mention here that during lockdown period all OPDs (outdoor patient deptt) were shut, admissions were restricted, impact of Covid19 on healthcare was really a challenge but yes it had a solution as well. As we are in this crisis the modern technology has really reshaped the healthcare.
As the COVID19 virus wreaks havoc with the healthcare system, telemedicine is stepping up into the spotlight and helping healthcare provider, organizations, and caregivers better respond to the needs of the people around. Telemedicine is making a very positive contribution to healthcare during the pandemic, and is being used in a variety of ways. But tele-health technologies do have certain limitations when it comes to treating patients during a pandemic.
Further, there is a chance telemedicine could add to hospitals being overwhelmed, unless it’s used well. But hospitals are learning to adapt to tele-health during the pandemic. During this global pandemic, tele-health is emerging as an effective and sustainable solution for precaution, prevention and treatment to stem the spread of COVID19.
When it comes to our part, J&K also witnessed a great response on this virtual tool, as healthcare professionals have been available on virtual mode which gave great relief to the people. People do have connected to all big & leading healthcare professionals as per their own convenience (day & time), and it was to their satisfaction. This was another way to stop the spread of COVID19. Healthcare professionals made themselves available on this virtual mode to help & to facilitate the people suffering around; this helps to limit both healthcare professionals’ & peoples’ exposure to the virus & other infectious diseases.
Even those (healthcare professionals) who were not using virtual tool made themselves available on phone, so as to make sure that patient shouldn’t suffer. As virtual tool had already been there since long & was being used so well, however, in our part it comes a bit late keeping in view some other challenges. Nevertheless we are now on-board with virtual tool. This is the most convenient way to connect to healthcare professionals. It gives you the liberty of choosing your own day/date/time. People feel healthcare professional pays better attention to them during virtual visits. Perhaps the most salient benefit that virtual care offers is the patients’ convenience. Instead of traveling to hospital, clinic or other healthcare facility to a healthcare professional, virtual visits empower people to consult their caregivers from the comfort of their own home.
Healthcare professionals can also consult each other more readily using virtual care technology, sometimes to make split-second decisions on diseases like heart attacks & strokes, which immediacy also applies to the healthcare professional-patient relationship, allowing for more timely interventions. It is well said “it’s better to be late than never”, as we are on-board now with Digital Health, the every day health.
This has been well said: “It’s time to move from reactive sick-care to proactive healthcare by default.”