Training for the Future of Digital Medicine
Recently released article on Hospital and Healthcare, Dr Andrew Baird and Coviu CEO, Dr Silvia Pfeiffer delve into how training and technology must evolve to equip the healthcare practitioners of today and tomorrow with the skills and knowledge they need to support patients in our digitised world.
The evolution of digital medicine, which was quickly rolled out and accelerated in response to the pandemic, has transformed the healthcare industry as we know it. Overnight, healthcare practitioners were forced to find alternative ways to provide care for patients as conducting in-person appointments became too risky.
While many have contemplated the potential of telehealth services for years, a lack of financial reimbursements, infrastructure and accessibility hindered widespread implementation. During the pandemic priorities dramatically shifted, allowing telehealth to prove its value to the industry. The uptake during this period has been significant, with nearly 30% of GP consultations being conducted by telehealth either via phone (28%) or video (0.8%).
Healthcare practices are now facing a new challenge — ensuring their doctors, nurses and allied health professionals have the skills and tools to provide the same level of care via telehealth as the patient would receive from in-person care. In order to achieve this, Medicare states that video telehealth is the preferable method for non-in-person consultations.
Read the rest of the article by Hospital and Healthcare here.