Over the past year-and-a-half, more and more patients in the UK have been resorting to telemedicine, teleconsults and other forms of connected health care due to the social distancing rules adopted during the global pandemic. It is possible, however, that that temporary shift might be here to stay, with these testing times offering a window of opportunity to experiment with innovative technological solutions and accelerating the digitisation of medicine and care.
But how can we make sure that technology can be put to use to help doctors and health care practitioners connect with their patients in a truly inclusive and effective way – and deliver better results? In this virtual briefing, WIRED's deputy global editorial director Greg Williams was joined by Danny Kelly, innovation director at Vodafone Business, and by Shafi Ahmed, a surgeon at Royal London Hospital and pioneer of technology-assisted surgery, to discuss the future of connected healthcare – and how to make it work for everyone.
Patients, it turns out, are more tech-savvy than we gave them credit for, according to Ahmed. Many of them actually value the convenience and swiftness provided by telemedicine and other forms of connected healthcare. The next step will be devising the best ways to use these solutions – and integrate them with other smart tools – to tackle complicated issues like the management of chronic health conditions such as asthma or diabetes. The key issue, of course, will be bridging the digital divides between different patients and even different parts of the country. As Kelly puts it, the solution might come from a change in mindset: “We need to start considering connectivity as a utility.”
To find out more about Vodafone's Digital Connected Health Services, click here\
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
