Telemedicine means modern forms of providing medical and healthcare services, combining elements of telecommunications, IT and medical solutions that increase the efficiency of medical services and patient safety.
The law already allows the provision of telemedicine services. Amendments to the Act on the profession of physician and dentist enabled the determination of the patient’s state of health both after the examination in the facility and using ICT.
Telemedicine allows for constant monitoring of the patient’s state of health and for performing preventive and control tests outside the medical facility. This phenomenon is part of the global trend known as Telehealth, which means the implementation of digital technologies in the area of health care and people’s lives.
The goal is to personalize and improve the effectiveness of treatment. Remote medical care is possible thanks to the use of portable devices recording specific life parameters. These devices work with the mobile telephone network and the Internet.
The use of telehealth medicine brings many benefits to both the patient and healthcare facilities, including the possibility of continuing treatment in the home environment, improving safety through easy and quick contact with medical staff, detection of health disorders and automatic notification of the online doctor, reducing time response to a threat to health and life, comfort and convenience of testing, no need to register in a medical facility, and thus waiting in line.
The consequence of using telemedicine solutions is the improvement of access to tele health care. Medical facilities have the option of observing the patient’s health and transmitting medical recommendations outside the hospital. The hospitalization time is shortened, which helps to reduce the costs of medical services.
The possibility of independent, remote measurement results relieves medical staff and increases their work efficiency. Thanks to more research and quick access to medical data, the effectiveness of treatment increases, which in turn translates into an improvement in the reputation and image of medical facilities.
The benefits of telemedicine are used primarily by persons with bedridden ill and suffering from chronic illnesses, the disabled, pregnant women and seniors, especially those who live alone.
This form of care is also suitable for people who are undergoing recovery or struggling with disorders requiring constant monitoring. Remote medical care also helps monitor the health of people in social care centers and homes.
The use of GSM mobile devices and the Internet means that telemedicine operates within the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, which has been dynamically developing all over the world in recent years.
The popularity of IoT and solutions enabling remote patient care is driven, among others the growing number of human populations, aging populations or the widespread occurrence of so-called lifestyle diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular insufficiency, etc.).
At the same time, technological progress in the field of medical imaging and the development of 3G / 4G mobile networks and the internet are conducive to the development of platforms for the provision of remote healthcare services. According to the Transparency Market Research report, “Telehealth Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017-2025”, the global telemedicine market for services and technologies (hardware and software) was worth USD 21 billion in 2016. The market is expected to grow at a rate of 15% per year for 2017-2025, and its projected value will reach USD 76.5 billion in 2025
