Photo: Avel Chuklanov

The relationship between patients and healthcare providers is being reshaped by technology. The healthcare system is changing at it now more evident than ever. Mobile will play a crucial role in this development as it is slowly becoming the patient's constant companion. In this article, we are going to examine what exactly is digitalizing contact with the patients and how it changes the healthcare system. When there is constant access to accurate information, such as non-stop real-time gathered data, both treatments, and patient-doctor relationships can be improved. Let us take a look.

The need for digitalization

During the start of the 2020 global pandemic, we have seen the rise of online tools and technologies being used by health care providers to interact with patients. Although it was initially used only as a direct answer to the problems of a patient overflow caused by the pandemic, nowadays, the world is slowly seeing the potentials and pros of digitalization of the patient-doctor relationship.

More and more patients prefer easy and quick access to means of communication with their healthcare providers as well as other, basic healthcare services. Digital technology has the undeniable potential to change medicine and the healthcare industry in a sustainable way.

Engaging the patients more through digitalization

The needs and expectations of patents toward healthcare organizations are constantly changing and evolving, as we have mentioned at the beginning of this article. Patients desire to be more informed and engaged as well as connected with their healthcare system providers. Placing the patient at the very center of his or her medical journey is one of the main goals of digitalizing contact with patients.

So, healthcare providers around the world will first need to focus on how to become customer-driven. Mobile, as mentioned already, will play a crucial role in this process. Mobile devices have an enormous potential of being the pillars of support to the healthcare industry's transformation into a patient-centric system. This will also redefine patients' expectations alongside other positive effects of technological innovations such as better productivity, shorter waiting time, improved processes, etc.

Digitalizing contact with patients comes with better patient involvement

Digitalizing contact with patients brings greater access to information and knowledge as well as experience with self-management programs. Furthermore, the patient is becoming a partner in a way of the health care providers instead of only being a care-receiver. An important step is being made with digitalization in enabling patients to manage their care process more.

The World Health Organization or WHO, defined this process as patient empowerment which means that a patient understands his or her and is given more knowledge and involvement in the treatment process.

Digital technologies present opportunities for revolutionizing the way care is delivered

The medicine of today is made more precise by the convergence of digital and genomic technologies with healthcare systems around the world. Although there are some complex regulations as well as significant costs that come with the full digitalization of patient contact, digitalization is still growing and expanding within the entire industry.

Innovative digital health devices allow easy and accurate analysis as well as characterization in health and disease. So, what is the main reason for the growing appetite in both doctors and patients for digitalization? Well, to begin with, the growing quality of patient care and treatment is one of the main reasons. Furthermore, potential cost savings in the long term using digital technologies are also very appealing to a number of health care providers around the world. The numbers are showing that one-fifth of health spending could be used more effectively

Faster and more efficient patient care

Figures show that a great number of patients receive unnecessary or low-value treatments. Consultations and telemonitoring systems, including communication and care-navigation platforms, are capable of providing digital, efficient patient care and communication with the doctors.

Access to real-time shared data greatly reduces duplications, errors, and waiting time. During their treatment path, a great number of patients visit multiple professionals. A digitalized platform for patient communication can speed up this process.

Digitalization supports wearable technology now more than ever. These digital devices provide closer care integration and patients have significant benefits. The recent technological developments in healthcare allow healthcare providers to monitor patients on a real-time basis. This is all done thanks to the recording, analysis, as well as collection of information using sensors and AI.

AI advancements and their benefits for the world of healthcare

Data analytics as well as suggested digital diagnostic and treatments are all being enhanced and made more efficient with the constant development of AI. The exponentially increasing pool of data needs to be gathered and processed accurately. Therefore, AI plays a crucial role in the process of digitalizing communication and contact between patients and health care providers.

The connectivity between patients and the healthcare system through the connected technological devices and AI places emphasis on the patients and on their exact needs for their medical journey. Patients are able to communicate from the comfort of their homes with their healthcare providers as well as interact and self-monitor their condition.

The world of digitalized healthcare and telemedicine communication allows for more open remote monitoring as well as easier access to healthcare services. Population living in remote regions can easily communicate with their doctors, set up their appointments or follow-up controls using means of digitalized communication. Therefore, for those living farther away from their healthcare providers, communication will not only be more easily reachable but also less expensive as there are no transportation costs.

Conclusion

To sum up, the world is seeing an increase in the usage of technological advancements and digital tools that are bringing patients and doctors closer than ever. Digitalizing patient-doctor communication comes with a great number of benefits, some of which we've mentioned above. Furthermore, a dramatic increase in healthcare costs requires a different, more innovative approach and digitalization offers a solution to this. Digitalizing patient contact means more predictive, preventative, and personalized medicine which will definitely benefit the world of healthcare in the future.