A pediatric virtual care company that commissioned an independent study revealed that 92% of pediatricians and clinicians believe telemedicine will continue to be part of healthcare practices in the future as well.
As per the response to an online survey all the 787 pediatricians and clinicians currently using a telemedicine platform, 96% offer telemedicine during regular business hours.
Dr. Mick Connors, co-founder, and CEO of Anytime Pediatrics the company that commissioned the study said that with regards to virtual care, the focus should be on ensuring that technology is used to nurture relationships and better the connection of patients with the healthcare they trust.
It's true that pediatric patients face unique hurdles while using telehealth that include challenges while connecting with clinicians via video- above 60% of respondents said patients find it easy to use.
In addition, respondents mentioned that patient demand is the number one factor driving the increasing use of telemedicine. Insurance coverage and revenue potential were also mentioned.
Clinicians consider Electronic Medical Record integration, price, flexible workflows, and connectivity while choosing future platforms.
The most common telemedicine visits are behavioral health, follow-ups, sick visits (cold, rashes, pink eye, etc), chronic condition check-ins, and refill of medications.
In the future clinicians seek connectivity, flexible workflows, Electronic Health Record integration from telemedicine platforms.
They would love to see facilities like translations during visits, integration of peripheral devices, availability of varied languages for documentation, and platform availability.
Also, audio-visual quality, live support, better connectivity, and ease of use are factors affecting patients and healthcare professionals.
More than half the patients are using a mobile application on their smartphones for their telemedicine consultation.
Marian Temesvary, Health Mavens, (consulting firm that implemented the study) Chief Strategy Officer said that based on their findings, telehealth will expand as clinicians will embrace the advantages and patients expect it.