The ability of clinicians to provide healthcare to patients in need is about to go through a significant boom. Prior to the digital advances that we are observing today, healthcare services have been understandably restrained to ascribed clinics and hospital facilities where practitioners and their equipment reside.

However, with the advent of digital and cloud technology, humans can now communicate in a coherent and immersive way over vast distances.

Put simply, through the touch of a button, we are able to connect with others through remote mediums in a way that is very similar to how we communicate face-to-face.

Although there are intrinsic aspects of face-to-face interaction that cannot be captured through remote means, we have reached a point where crucial information can be shared via these technologies.

More importantly, advances in research have produced devices that allow patients to collect and send critical health-related information to their general practitioner or clinician. Officially referred to as remote monitoring, this has allowed patients to conduct medical tests in the comfort of their homes or locations not directly found within the hospital.

This is significant for several reasons. Firstly, access will significantly improve – Patients will no longer need to go through extensive and, oftentimes, mundane administrative processes only to secure an appointment. Second, the cost of treatment will substantially reduce as data can be collected remotely and efficiently sent to the clinician for analysis. Lastly, healthcare providers will no longer be restricted by geographical constraints and can reach clientele all over the country.

Where healthcare was previously centralised upon critical facilities, it can now expand into all locations that can host digital communication devices. We already see how this process is leveraged today within the health and fitness industry, where personal couches and nutritionists have access to data collected from phones and wrist devices.

For medical patients, we hope to take this a step further and use remote monitoring technology to assess critical functions such as:

• Glucose readings in diabetic patients
• Heart rate and blood pressure
• Physical and visual monitoring for mentally and physically impaired patients.
• Nutritional levels
• Substance abuse monitoring

Moreover, the capability of extending healthcare to the comfort of one’s home will significantly reduce the inequalities in access to healthcare that is present within the UK.

During the pandemic, we found that many patient profiles were highly restricted regarding access to healthcare services. However, many of these inequalities remained after the easing of the lockdown measures, and the NHS has been seeking to improve access through remote monitoring technologies.

Effectively, once the underlying infrastructure has been set in place for remote monitoring, clinicians will be able to access patient profiles that typically lack the normal access that the average person possesses. These include:

• The elderly
• Patients from rural areas
• Patients recovering from surgery
• Patients with limited mobility
• Patients suffering from long-term chronic diseases

Today, with the widespread healthcare demand burdening many of our integrated care systems (ICSs), remote monitoring technologies are becoming more relevant than ever. The challenge that healthcare organisations now face is how to seamlessly transition into a digital pathway that will be conducive to new technologies such as remote monitoring.

If adequately established, the results drawn from research on how these technologies can benefit patient demographics are profound. Not only do they allow clinicians to scale their services significantly, but paired with other technologies, such as artificial intelligence, vast quantities of patient data will be collected from homes and rapidly analysed and presented for clinical management.

A new era of accessible and flexible healthcare, headed by the advent of new digital technologies, is about to enter the NHS. With this, improved health outcomes and treatment availability will be present to all who need it. Ultimately, we are set to observe a paradigm shift in how medical treatment is administered, and we must ensure that the transition is smooth and beneficially impactful to the people in need – Our patients.

Improving health outcomes and patient experience are front and centre of what drives us here at HIC. These themes are fundamental to how we approach the work we do through our Digital Delivery Model, where discovery is our starting point with patients always at the forefront. Our teams are vastly experienced in delivering healthcare technology in local, regional and national healthcare organisations and on hand to help you through your digital journey.

We’re here to help you develop, implement and spread your technology. Contact us today—we’ll provide you with the guidance and support you need through your digital journey.