The field of medicine has undergone major changes since Telemedicine, the biggest breakthrough since the Covid-19 pandemic. While it may feel like the “normal” part of healthcare now, connected technologies dominated the way Americans saw doctors during the pandemic. “Before the pandemic, virtual care was available, but it wasn’t widely used. Telehealth is the mainstream right now,” says Dr. Michael Aziz, the attending physician at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York.
According to one study, telemedicine encounters increased by 766% in the first three months of covid outbreaks. And while the use of 2D technology has become tapering, Dr. Aziz believes it plays an important role, especially for young professionals, especially for the younger professionals. And that’s a huge number of barriers when it comes to telehealth. One is the cost. There are costs associated with it. It’s not covered by many insurance companies.”
Experts say telehealth is innovative, but is ideal for certain illnesses, especially psychiatric services. “I think it’s clear that the pandemic has certainly had an immediate and negative impact on the mental health of many Americans,” stressed Dr. Chris Ivanney, psychiatrist and COO at Family Care Centers.
A recent Gallup poll has found that between 18 and 49 adults report a sharp decline in mental health since 2020, with many suffering from depression, anxiety and isolation. This led to an increase in Americans seeking help after the crisis. “The stigma of seeking mental health care has definitely declined over the past five years or so,” Dr. Ivany points out two main reasons why we are seeing mental health care growth. “Part of what the pandemic has done is raising awareness of mental health issues. This is to raise challenges across the US population that have not actually been done in the past.
Another challenge to change the industry’s landscape: significant reductions in staffing. Dr. Aziz said, “Around 3,000 medical professionals have died, and around 100,000 have retired or changed — hospitals have struggled to retain not only doctors and healthcare workers.”
Telemedicine has been a game changer, but it is not the only major innovation that will emerge from the pandemic. The production and deployment of Covid-19 vaccines is a transformative innovation born from the pandemic, along with advances in rapid testing and antigen testing.
