COVID-19 has accelerated the progress in healthcare industry digital transformation processes, the progress expected in 3 years has happened within 3 months.
According to the third edition of the Aegon Health and Lifestyle study, 7 out of 10 telemedicine users say it has been very helpful for them.
COVID-19 has forced all sectors to digitize and the health sector could not be left behindWith health centers devoting most of their resources to contain the pandemic, the industry has been forced to look for alternatives to not stop treating all other pathologies and has found its great ally in telemedicine.
Telemedicine is not a novelty, although it has experienced very slow industry integration: COVID-19 has focused on the need to bet on it and its implementation has accelerated. The advances expected in 3 years were made within 3 months.
“These advancements provide the opportunity to more efficiently manage hospitals, health centers and patients and explore emerging diseases, such as COVID-19, to provide early detection and more specific care, minimizing patient damage and contamination.”, distinguish themselves from ASHO, a leading hospital advice and clinical coding company in Spain.
The technology has played a fundamental role in managing the health crisis. Virtual consultations, over the phone, online results or remote patient follow-up have become a reality and have all the numbers to stay once the crisis is over as they have brought many benefits to the industry and proven their effectiveness, improving management , reducing lists and waiting times, avoiding unnecessary travel, and reducing bureaucracy.
However, specialists caution that while it is effective in many cases, telematic medicine is not good for everything and they claim to bring order to this clinical practice, to set boundaries and to provide it with more resources for infrastructures and training of professionals in digital skills.
The use of telemedicine during the pandemic
In the third edition of Aegon health and lifestyle research, which focuses on the analysis of health status, lifestyle, habits and behaviors related to the health of Spaniards, it can be seen that one in three respondents said they used telemedicine during the pandemicMoreover 7 out of 10 telemedicine users say it has been very helpfulTelematics medicine has opened the way to leave long procedures that make the patient uncomfortable and delay the doctor. It has been found that many of the operations performed were unnecessary and that the use of complementary telematics resources leads to greater efficiency in the sector.
In fact, according to Spanish Association for Family and Community Medicine (semFYC), GPs, during the pandemic, performed on average 32 medical acts via telemedicine and reduced to just a dozen in the number of patients attended in personIn this context ASHO shows that “This process made it easier for patients who really needed personalized care to be treated more quickly and with more medical care, as other pathologies did not cease to exist in times of COVID-19”
Technological progress has been essential to the development and proper management of the pandemic. Telematic medicine, in particular, has benefited the entire industry, patients, healthcare professionals and managers. It is a long process, with many challenges and challenges in which much remains to be done to fully implement the digital transformation in the healthcare sector. Technological advancements, along with the cooperation of society and the pandemic, have proven to be the key to giving life the golden age of digital health
About ASHO
ASHO, as a leading healthcare coding company, currently manages more than 85 projects across Spain and codifies approximately 600,000 registrations per year. With a market share of 47%, the company specializes in providing value-added services in hospital information systems that facilitate the management and work of clinical professionals. Since its inception 26 years ago, it has encrypted more than 8 million registrations, 2.5 million of which in the past five years.
