The technological development of recent years and the impact of the pandemic in recent months have has greatly accelerated the digitization of healthcare. There are increasing opportunities to offer continuous monitoring of patients, especially for chronic diseases, and it is also possible to provide remote medical assistance to patients with Covid-19.
The digitization of healthcare is synonymous accessibility. While some more routine consultations or checks can be transferred to the virtual plane, health centers and professionals can be more efficient, ensuring attendance for more urgent visits.
This fact was evident in March, when the confinement in houses began. The health recommendations insisted that one should not go to the health centers – which were already saturated – unless it was an emergency, although medical assistance must be provided during these months for the rest of the pathologies, so telemedicine became the primary means of monitoring and controlling other diseases.
This situation made it possible to demonstrate the benefits of the digitization of medicine. Systems such as the use of wearables and mobile devices can help control disease, and medical assistance via video calls or telephone consultations is very useful in simpler cases to care for patients safely.
In the context we are in, it is also worth noting the use of these devices in patients with Covid-19. The insurer Sanitas provided this support to 95 people during the emergency, allowing them to become checked by wearables while you are being treated at home. The data collected by the devices was then evaluated by a medical team that was attentive to the patient’s situation at all times. In this way they were able detect pain alerts in 80% of patients and warnings of a 12% decrease in oxygen saturation. Having this data in real time allowed the medical team to act on the spot patients do not need to travel or be hospitalized at any time.
Sanitas used the use of wearables has been following up its patients since 2016, so as soon as the delivery arrived, both the specialists and the patients were used to these services and the company could normally assume the increase in the use of its digital platforms. For example, between the months of March and July more than 230,000 video consultations.
Chronic disease monitoring
The emergence of telemedicine has also facilitated the control and treatment of other diseases such as hypertension or obesity. Is about chronic pathologies that require thorough monitoring of vital markers to act quickly in the event of irregularities and to prevent risks.
In case of hypertension, for example by using a blood pressure monitor connected via bluetooth, data related to blood pressure, which are then evaluated by a specialist to provide the patient with recommendations and information for managing his disease. In addition, the medical team is notified of alarming data.
Medical devices are also used wearables for the control of overweight, monitoring the weight, physical activity and general quality of life of patients. A study by Sanitas found that a total of 79 patients had an average reduction of 1.7 kg over a 12-month period. The conclusions of the company’s experts are that the use of these types of systems is preferable to a more awareness and involvement of the patient, who is more involved in their treatment and consequently gets best results.
The process of healthcare digitization, in which most countries are already immersed, sheds light on the new possibilities that telemedicine offers. Constant follow-up of patients, less travel and more comfort, as they can receive medical care at home, are the main advantages of this system. That’s why they wanted to give in Sanitas continuity with the digitization strategy started betting in 2016 on BluaU, a platform specially developed for the monitoring, prevention and treatment of diseases from the smartphone. In this way, it increases the range of digital health services that have enabled the company to ensure personalized attention tailored to the needs of each of its patients.