If Covid-19 has taught the world anything, it is that the power of digital technology to save time and money and improve our lives was not being used to its full advantage.
Our interconnected, digital world continues to develop at a tremendous pace, and the benefits to healthcare are illustrated with the increased utilisation of online digital consultation.
Digital medical consultations, or telemedicine, has been a service available to International SOS clients since its development in 2015. However, digital appointments only accounted for 2% of all consultations. That figure has since risen to 50% during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Virtual access to fast, efficient and appropriate medical care has become critical in the fluid environment of lockdowns and remote working. Alongside supporting those with confirmed cases of coronavirus and implementing preventative measures, we have also operated our sickness absent management service digitally.
Our secure telemedicine platform provides video conferencing for return to work and routine occupational health consultations.
Many of the cases we treat within sickness absence are related to mental health. Being able to talk openly about issues or concerns from the comfort of a patient’s own home can make this often-difficult conversation easier.
The digital consultation service allows us to streamline our client offering and make appointments easier to manage. Remote appointments are both cost and time efficient, reducing downtime and travel and the expenses that come with it.
A 45-minute video call appointment allows a clinician to host video consultations, issue reports or certificates and update patient records confidentially. Patients can access the digital service from anywhere in the world to communicate with a medical specialist securely and easily.
The service is fully secure and compliant with the data protection and security provisions required of medical information handlers. In addition, International SOS is the first company globally to receive ISO certification for TeleHealth services.
Benefits of telemedicine for your company:
• Appointments are more time efficient by eliminating travel and reducing downtime.
• Eliminated travel means no travel costs.
• Reduced business disruption via efficient access to local care
• Patients may be less nervous about discussing medical issues – particularly mental health related – out with a clinical environment and are therefore more likely to discuss issues earlier, before they have the chance to develop into more serious problems.
• Patient wellbeing and safety is prioritised by allowing them to see specialised medical professionals as soon as possible, from their current location.
• The service is fully data protection compliant.
• Within the framework of an integrated medical support with a personalised follow-up and management.
We strive to continue to stay ahead of the game and explore further opportunities to use digital innovation to improve healthcare for our clients and their employees.
For details on the International SOS telemedicine service please contact Claire.Westbrook@internationalsos.com.
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