Is Healthcare on the verge of a video revolution?
Rasmus Almqvist, VP Global Sales, Hibox
Healthcare systems in Europe are facing an existential crisis. We are experiencing the combined effects of a range of factors including an ageing population, a shortfall in public funding, and the shortage of care sector workers in the community which could lead to delayed discharges of patients from hospitals. It’s a challenge that cannot be solved without rethinking how, when, and by whom care is provided. Amidst this, the healthcare sector is also in the process of digitizing its services with the aim of increasing efficiency and enhancing patient experience, and for policymakers, video consultations between healthcare providers and patients are an important part of this digitalization process.
However, concerns that video couldn’t adequately replace in-person interactions between healthcare staff and patients, and a general reluctance to explore video-assisted care have delayed its wider adoption. Having said that, there are indications that attitudes to video supported healthcare are changing. Given the pressures that healthcare systems are facing, can video technology be part of the solution, supporting healthcare providers to work more efficiently and save time, while at the same time also improving patient experience?
Understanding the barriers
Although some healthcare settings experimented with video technology during the Covid-19 pandemic, video technology is not widely used by healthcare clinicians and practitioners. The reason for this is multifaceted. In the past, the value of using video technology to support healthcare provision was not always obvious to healthcare providers. Additionally, there has also been some concern that using video could potentially compromise the quality of consultations, diagnosis and treatments. There is however, evidence (Role of Remote Technologies in Healthcare, Oxford Population Health) that video consulting can be just as safe and effective as face-to-face or telephone appointments when treating chronic health conditions.
Furthermore, there are also some concerns that by using video to replace face-to-face interactions, the quality of experience that patients receive would be lowered. The thought behind this is that you cannot replace the comfort, care and compassion that a healthcare practitioner is able to provide while they are sitting beside the patient, truly listening to them, and understanding their concerns.
Technology as an enabler
It’s important that video technology is viewed as an enabler rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. Just as there are times when video technology cannot be used to replace the interaction between a healthcare professional and a patient, there are other instances when video-assisted patient care can be used by health professionals to work more efficiently, giving healthcare professionals more time to focus on what truly matters, that being to provide compassionate, personalized care as well as face-to face interactions where they’re essential.
When used in the right circumstances, video-assisted patient care brings a number of benefits. In practices where there is limited space, video consultations could potentially enable a clinician to work remotely so that practice space could be freed up for those instances when in-person consultations are vital. Video consultations may also be particularly beneficial in rural areas where there are longer distances to travel between patients and healthcare professionals. Additionally, it would be a valuable tool during triage when patients are initially assessed to determine the urgency and nature of their needs. While telephone calls are also useful for this, video gives clinicians the advantage of being able to see the patient, so the triage process may be more accurate and efficient.
In preventative care, which is widely accepted to be a more cost-effective model than curative or reactive care where treatment is provided once a health issue has developed, video-assisted check-ups and consultations between patients and medical professionals could significantly change the way we approach health maintenance. If patients can access these types of consultations from their own homes or workplace without having to travel to a health center, doctor surgery or hospital, appointments are less stressful and more convenient for patients, as well as quicker because there is no waiting time. Not only is this better for patients in the short term, but it may also help to encourage patients to engage with healthcare services earlier on which can reduce the likelihood of more serious conditions developing in the longer term.
Rehabilitative care is another area where video technology shines. For example, patients recovering from surgery or injury can learn exercises to improve mobility, strength and function, through virtual video sessions, without the need for the patient to travel to a health center or for the health professional to travel to the patient’s home.
Enhanced personalization
Video-assisted care enables a more personalized healthcare experience by giving patients greater flexibility in how they receive care. Some patients may prefer in-person visits, while others value the convenience of video consultations that fit around their daily lives. For those with chronic conditions, video check-ins can be used to provide regular monitoring and early intervention, ensuring ongoing support and peace of mind, without the need for frequent travel.
Beyond providing convenience and offering patients more flexibility, video features like real-time translation and accessibility options may also be incorporated to ensure more inclusive care. By integrating these capabilities, video-assisted care not only improves efficiency but also creates a more patient-centric healthcare system.
Future of video in healthcare
Looking ahead, there’s excellent potential that the integration of AI with video-assisted healthcare will improve patient care. Eventually AI tools integrated with video technology could be used to aid clinicians with diagnosis during video consultations, for example by tracking skin conditions in dermatology. Additionally, community practitioners such as physiotherapists could leverage video hardware with large displays, and advanced software to support patients to perform their routines independently in their own home while receiving automated, real-time feedback on their movements. This approach could allow practitioners to monitor patient progress closely and provide personalized guidance, ensuring that every step of the recovery journey is optimized.
As healthcare continues its digital transformation, video technology is set to play an increasingly important role, not as a replacement for human interaction, but to complement face-to-face patient care by enhancing efficiency, flexibility, and personalization. Attitudes towards video-technology in healthcare are continuing to evolve and video technology is becoming even more intuitive. There’s every reason to believe that in time, video-assisted care could well shift from being a contingency solution to an integral part of everyday healthcare delivery.
