The use of live and stored & forward telemedicine has been a part of healthcare service for many years, however, most health systems and organizations still use it as a pilot, small-scale research activity, or an optional service. Despite ample evidence in the form of randomized and community-based clinical trials, prospective and retrospective studies, and systematic reviews, health systems are still struggling to adopt telemedicine as part of their culture and day-to-day practice.
COVID-19 forced the healthcare industry to face and overcome its biggest cultural resistance to telemedicine. The struggle for change management in small to large health organizations, networks, and even third-party organizations like insurance companies, became much faster. Such a radical change wasn’t seen in a long time, which raised issues about the sustainability of this change and the long-term commitment from these organizations to adopt telemedicine as part of their culture.
Several reports from different parts of the world suggest that most organizations have continued to maintain telemedicine as part of their optional services or a backup for future emergencies. Very few health systems and organizations have taken critical steps to adopt telemedicine in their day-to-day practice. This adoption may require some of the following critical steps:
- Organizational commitment: It is critical that, based on the evidence for telemedicine adoption, the governance and the management of health organizations adopt telemedicine as part of their core business model for providing healthcare. This commitment is essential for any sustainable cultural change.
- Policy changes: There is a need to develop policy support for telemedicine, including the creation of guidelines for adopting telemedicine as part of routine service delivery.
- Infrastructure changes: Making telemedicine part of routine outpatient and inpatient services would require certain infrastructure changes for easy access to telemedicine technology, yet maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality.
- Health providers and staff training: No health system change can succeed without regular training of health staff and ensuring easy access to 24/7 support on a continuous basis.
- Awareness among patients and caregivers: It is also important that organizations make a strategy to increase awareness about and promote acceptance of telemedicine by the patients, caregivers, and the community as part of routine healthcare services.
- Evaluation and refinement of the business case for the future: It is critical to have a regular evaluation of telemedicine programs, generating evidence on the advantages and disadvantages in different scenarios, impact on patient’s health and services, and cost-analysis for informed decisions on further expansion of such programs.
In summary, organizations and health systems need to take several steps to facilitate the adoption of telemedicine as part of their culture. Tech4Life Enterprises has developed several tools for organizational adoption of telemedicine along with the technology for easy and sustained adoption. We will continue to work with organizations around the world in their efforts for successful telemedicine adoption.