The healthcare system in India underwent several changes due to the COVID-19 outbreak. One of those significant changes was a rapid rise in demands for online doctor consultations and the adaptation of telemedicine.
To examine this digital evolution and future possibilities in tech-enabled ENT and Gynecology, we recently conducted the 22nd edition of Practo Connect webinar. Meant exclusively for doctors and healthcare professionals, it was led by Dr Lavanya Kiran, Gynecologist and Obstetrician, and Dr Rajesh Kr Bhardwaj, Otorhinolaryngologist.
Healthcare of tomorrow
Driven by the need to negate the risk of COVID-19 transmission, digital healthcare practices like online appointment booking and virtual consultations were widely accepted and adopted during the pandemic; and this will continue
The healthcare system in India underwent several changes due to the COVID-19 outbreak. One of those significant changes was a rapid rise in demands for online doctor consultations and the adaptation of telemedicine.
To examine this digital evolution and future possibilities in tech-enabled ENT and Gynecology, we recently conducted the 22nd edition of Practo Connect webinar. Meant exclusively for doctors and healthcare professionals, it was led by Dr Lavanya Kiran, Gynecologist and Obstetrician, and Dr Rajesh Kr Bhardwaj, Otorhinolaryngologist.
Healthcare of tomorrow
Driven by the need to negate the risk of COVID-19 transmission, digital healthcare practices like online appointment booking and virtual consultations were widely accepted and adopted during the pandemic; and this will continue to grow. In fact, a report by the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) states that investment in digital healthcare tools will grow by 80% in the next five years.
And with the rising digitalization of healthcare solutions and the use of remote patient monitoring devices, digital healthcare platforms are poised to have a significant impact even in remote areas of the country.
to grow. In fact, a report by the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) states that investment in digital healthcare tools will grow by 80% in the next five years.
And with the rising digitalization of healthcare solutions and the use of remote patient monitoring devices, digital healthcare platforms are poised to have a significant impact even in remote areas of the country.
Talking about telemedicine and the digital future of ENT, Dr Bhardwaj said, “During the pandemic, most of us were practising telemedicine, and Practo offered us a wonderful telemedicine platform. There were certain strictures passed against doctors for practising telemedicine in the past, but the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW) brought in guidelines and frameworks in March 2020, under which the doctors could provide teleconsultations in a legal manner.”
Agile healthcare
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help determine potential diagnoses and decide the best treatment plan for a specific patient.
According to the official journal of the Turkish Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, in laryngology, T1a glottic cancers and other pathologies of the vocal cord can be diagnosed with almost 100% accuracy when AI programs are used together with voice analysis and videostroboscopy images. AI can also provide substantial guidance to physicians in challenging decisions, complex diagnoses, and treatments.
Another area of innovation, as pointed out by Dr Kiran, is health analytics. “Health tech companies are creating algorithms that will predict future outcomes based on family history and patient parameters. This will help doctors easily identify a multitude of risk factors early.”
