The state of the telemedicine industry Part II

After detailing the large strides made in the industry, contributor JT Ripton discusses new trends such as wearables and WebRTC in part two.

Wearables and Consumables Are On the Rise

In the past few years, wearable technology like the FitBit, which monitors a few key health metrics, has mainly been a consumer driven market. In 2016, wearables and consumables will start to really break into the healthcare industry.

RELATED TOPIC: The state of the telemedicine industry Part I

With health products like the HealthPatch MD, a reusable biosensor with ECG electrodes that are embedded into a disposable patch that is able to monitor a patient’s vital signs, keep track of breathing, monitor heart rate, check temperature, and look at other vitals, it is easy to then relay that information to health care physicians in-order to keep tabs on their patients.

They can even tell if a patient has fallen with an accelerometer.

Another example, in this case is a consumable pill called Helius by Proteus Digital, that is able to track vital internal health information from within the patient in real time and is able to communicate that information to the Helius companion app which your doctor can assess. 

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The Helius will also be able to tell doctors if a patient is taking their prescriptions at the correct time and alert them if they’re having any adverse reactions to their medications or therapies.

With the technological abilities of wearables rapidly getting more advanced and common-place, wearables will only gain in popularity and in some cases necessity throughout 2016 and for years after.  

Proprietary Tele-Health Components Become Obsolete

Expensive proprietary unified communications systems, which were the norm only on a few years ago, are outdated, expensive, and complicated.

RELATED TOPIC: How WebRTC will revolutionize the healthcare industry

With emerging telecommunication standards like WebRTC, which integrate easily into mobile apps and mobile sites, a healthcare provider now has the flexibility to use the device of his or her choice, whether that’s a PC, smartphones, or tablets in order to visually communicate with patients.

Healthcare providers are also now seeking out specialty-specific telehealth software or apps that are used across all of these devices using open networks.  As less expensive and more intuitive telehealth options arise, the reliance on proprietary unified communication tools is in sharp decline.

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These trends will drive down the price of cloud-based communication methods and democratize telemedicine for those all over the world. As telemedicine technology advances and becomes easier to integrate and use, healthcare will become more accessible and more affordable in 2016 and beyond. 

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