Top Telemedicine Trends Shaping the Future of Digital Health
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Propelled by the pandemic, telehealth and telemedicine are among the fastest-growing industries in the world. The global market size is expected to more than double in revenues from $120.4 billion in 2023 to $285.7 by 2028. Healthcare organizations are now reevaluating the future of telehealth and working to develop a more intentional and sustainable approach to virtual care.
Hospitals and health systems that were uncertain about telehealth services before the pandemic have now firmly decided to adopt them strategically. Telemedicine has become too important to overlook, especially in light of the ongoing healthcare workforce shortages, efforts to control labor costs, provider burnout, and the need to expand access to care for broader populations.
Trend #1: Artificial Intelligence
The rapid progress of AI in software development has increased its value for healthcare and telemedicine. AI-powered systems improve diagnostic accuracy, automate patient communication, help generate medical insights, support clinical decision-making, and enhance the operational efficiency of medical services. A general rule of thumb for all AI use cases in healthcare is that they should be treated ethically, responsibly, and with caution toward the privacy and safety of sensitive patient data.
AI chatbots and virtual assistants are becoming increasingly popular. Serving as the first point of contact for consumers in the healthcare system, chatbots can answer FAQs, provide basic medical advice, direct users to relevant resources, schedule appointments, send reminders and follow-ups, and more. Moreover, AI-assisted triage systems help address the workforce shortages in clinical teams by analyzing patient data and symptoms, conducting initial assessments, and directing patients to the most appropriate care level.
As GenAI progresses, an increasing number of healthcare organizations are interested in integrating LLM-based chatbots into their operations. Medical-specific models like Google's Med-PaLM are on the rise. AI chatbots already perform on par or even better than human clinicians in answering patient questions. In one experiment, ChatGPT scored higher than human doctors in terms of quality (4 vs. 3.33) and empathy (4.67 vs. 2.33). In another case, ChatGPT produced clinical notes that were hard to distinguish from those written by doctors, even for professional reviewers.
AI-assisted medical imaging is another area where AI is making a significant impact. The application of deep learning algorithms to CT and MRI scans helps clinicians detect abnormalities that may be otherwise hard to see for the human eye, leading to more accurate and effective diagnostics. AI algorithms can identify complex patterns in imaging data, provide quantitative evaluations of radiographic traits, distinguish signals from noise, and detect image modalities, such as tumor delineation at different treatment stages.
AI-powered imaging is already being used to treat cardiovascular and neurological conditions, for cancer screening and tumor classification, and to detect hard-to-diagnose fractures or dislocations. With the advances in computer vision and improvements in both the accuracy and reliability of generative AI, it can be used for a growing number of imaging analysis tasks.
Clinical Data Management
As telemedicine advances, the role of AI grows in handling massive volumes of healthcare data. Studies revealed that it is possible to eliminate about four months (3,000 hours) of manual review in a single AI trial, freeing up valuable time for medical teams. With AI algorithms that automate data entry and other routine tasks, they can move forward with structuring and migrating information from one EHR (Electronic Health Record) to another.
The integration of patient data into the EHR system using AI creates a comprehensive view of a patient's health history, helping generate medical insights for more accurate diagnostics and treatment while minimizing human error.
Trend #2: Remote Patient Monitoring and Chronic Care Management
Currently, 34% of healthcare organizations in the United States provide remote patient monitoring. This allows them to track patients' vital signs, symptoms, and activity levels to assess their health, detect any issues early, and adjust treatment. With the aging population and increasing number of patients with disabilities and chronic conditions, RPM is expected to grow in popularity.
This trend is also driven by hospital-at-home technology that creates a smart, real-time world for patients who need hospital care but are stable enough to be home. The use of RPM within HaH could match the standard clinical practice of regular vital checks, enabling safe and consistent care.
One of Beetroot's in-house R&D projects, Eshmun, is a telehealth app designed to assist trained nurses or family members in monitoring the health status of elderly patients using real-time telemetry. On the one hand, telemedicine enables us to convert Beetroot's cross-team expertise into cutting-edge HealthTech projects. On the other hand, the tangible difference it creates for patients and care providers inspires us to hone our experience and solve specific challenges.
As one of our colleagues said:
"The most exciting thing for me in this project is collecting data from devices and using it to simplify caregivers' routine tasks. Some healthcare-specific challenges, like privacy and data security, appeal to me too. Realizing that people's lives can literally depend on your product's reliability gives extra motivation to work harder."
— Vitalii Huliai, Tech Team Lead, Beetroot
Trend #3: Telehealth-Enabled Wearable Devices
The popularity of smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearables aligns perfectly with the previous trend. Fitness app development is an essential part of telemedicine, allowing healthcare providers to monitor patients' health status in real-time.
In conclusion, fitness app development trends are revolutionizing digital health. By leveraging AI-powered systems, remote patient monitoring, and wearable devices, healthcare organizations can improve diagnostic accuracy, automate patient communication, and enhance the operational efficiency of medical services. The future of telemedicine looks promising, and we can expect to see even more innovative solutions in the years to come.