December 29, 2022
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The state of
Telemedicine within medical clinics internationally
A quantitative analysis of telemedicine implementation and business efficiency.
OBJECTIVE
To gauge the importance placed on telemedicine programs by medical clinics, by assessing the extent of telehealth program follow-up investment.
Telemedicine is an effective means of treating patients remotely. Since the onset of COVID-19, reports of explosive clinical uptake has been reported. This review aims to systematically characterize the extent and sophistication of clinical utilization of telemedicine systems and practices.
Whilst telehealth purports to be easy to implement and have a range of benefits to patients and practitioners, the successful administration, iteration and analysis of implemented programs is the key to ongoing success.
Number of clinics participating
1539
Total number of practitioners
2103
Total number of telemedicine practitioners
1711 (81%)
SURVEYED
LOCATIONS
RESULTS
The study relied on self reported answers to crafted questions that would elicit the extent of integration and the importance clinical decision makers place on telemedicine.
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INTERVIEWEE ROLE
role at medical clinic
Manager (53%)
Receptionist (27%)
Clinic Owner (7%)
Coordinator (7%)
Therapist (4%)
METHOD OF PROMOTION
role at medical clinic
None (36%)
Website (34%)
Call (16%)
Email (11%)
Social (1%)
HOW IS TELEHEALTH TRAINING PROVIDED TO PRACTITIONERS
None (39%)
Minimal (30%)
Scheduled (23%)
Constant (6%)
PATIENT LOYALTY SYSTEM
SMS (25%)
Manual (24%)
Email (18%)
Booking Widget (16%)
None (10%)
EHR (2%)
REPORTING FUNCTIONALITY
None (39%)
Minimal (19%)
Standard (19%)
Custom (12%)
Dedicated (9%)
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COLLECTION OF PATIENT TELEMEDICINE REVIEWS
Yes, occasionally (48%)
No (28%)
Yes, every appointment (14%)
Not systematically (8%)
Physician burn out is on the rise
The "Great Resignation" can be witness within healthcare professionals who are increasingly turning toward partial employment, retirement or more flexible work arangement.
Forward thinking clinic owners are introducing telehealth programs to provide flexible working arrangements for clinicians.
-5%
Anticipated turnover in the future 12 months
5%
Average clinician turnover in the last 12 months
CONCLUSION
There has been rapid take up of telehealth software by clinics throughout the world. However, this survey shows that there is systemic underinvestment in training and supporting systems in the majority of respondents responses.
There is a correlation between clinical success in telehealth and patient uptake with ancillary support systems such as those pointed out above.
A positive correlation has also been observed between the ability for clinicians to practice telehealth and reduced workforce churn. Stakeholders who have a solid telehealth roadmap are more sanguine about workforce retention than those that do not have plans to invest in telehealth options for staff and patients.