Telemedicine Acquires Huge Acceptance in India Revolutionising Healthcare Access

With the advent of advanced smartphones and mobile health apps access to healthcare has become convenient with benefits like teleconsultations, prescription reminders, and health tracking, making healthcare access easy for one and all.

A few years back nobody thought that you could access healthcare facilities without being present physically at a doctor’s clinic or you could be on track with your medicines and fitness goals without depending on another individual for reminders and motivation. In the past few years, telemedicine has changed that entire scenario and altered the healthcare landscape for the good. Telemedicine and teleconsultations have emerged as mainstream platforms to simplify healthcare access to the masses. After the COVID-19 pandemic where in-patient visits and hospital visits were restricted, telemedicine emerged as a solution for the masses and gave them a sigh of relief. People and healthcare experts realised that telemedicine and teleconsultations were convenient, time-saving, and reduced the burden on healthcare infrastructure while also allowing quick online access to several specialist doctors.

In this context, wearable devices and remote monitoring technology have provided healthcare experts the facility to remotely monitor patients' vital signs, and chronic conditions, and guide post-operative care. These gadgets offer real-time data collecting, early diagnosis of health concerns, and personalised therapies, improving patient outcomes while lowering healthcare expenditures. AI-powered telemedicine solutions use machine learning algorithms to analyse medical data, interpret diagnostic pictures, and provide decision support to healthcare practitioners.

Recognising telemedicine's potential for extending healthcare access, the Indian government has implemented policy measures to encourage its implementation. Initiatives such as the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), and regulatory frameworks for teleconsultations have created an enabling environment for expanding telemedicine services in India.