Hospitals – We all need health care — whether it’s simply an annual check-up or a week-long stay in a hospital, at some time or other we all need to see a medical professional for care.
When COVID-19 swept across the world, there was an increased need for patients to visit healthcare facilities and receive immediate care; not every hospital had the space for such an influx.
This led to a significant push for at-home care to help prevent the spread of the virus. Now, healthcare facilities are modernizing to devote more attention to critical care, while at-home care is becoming both more common and more effective.
Advanced technology is making it possible for more patients to receive the care they need without having to leave their homes. This is the future of medical care, and it may save time and money for patients around the world.
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Hospital-Like Care At Home
With the surge of COVID-19 causing hospitals to turn patients away and people afraid of the spreading virus, finding treatment away from hospitals became a growing need. So many aspects of healthcare have transferred to an at-home system that is convenient and cost-effective.
The savings associated with at-home care have a positive effect on those who struggle with the high cost of insurance and with high hospital bills. By reducing the need for lengthy hospital stays and everything that comes with it, patients can stay home and pay only for the care they truly need.
Treatments conducted at home leave more hospital space for patients who need the most intense, heavily monitored care.
There is no need to worry that care from home is any less effective than being in the hospital. As needed, a medical staff person can come to the home depending on the level of care and the treatment required.
Devices can be kept in the house, or transported as needed, such as those for ultrasounds, X-rays, and heart monitoring.
When a professional is not in the home, a patient’s vitals can be monitored electronically with new technology, saving both patient and provider the need for travel.
Video chats are also common, especially for the initial diagnosis and plan for care. Indeed, we have reached the point that since so much can be done from home, there is far less need to go out at all.
Modernized Hospitals
Despite at-home care being on the rise, new modern hospitals are going up around the US and across the globe, offering a better quality of care than ever before. Many new hospital rooms mirror hotel-like suites to make patients feel more comfortable while receiving care.
Now offering better food, TV streaming services, and easier access to their health records, hospitals are less of a hostile place to stay and more enjoyable when experiencing potential rough patches in your health.
In some newer hospitals, patients can control their room temperature, adjust the lights, and activate their privacy screen from the bed. They won’t need the help of staff as much so that the staff can attend to other patients more needful of direct care.
These new hospitals are being built to treat patients with critical care needs rather than minor cases. Patients can use telehealth and other at-home methods for less severe concerns before deciding to head to the brick-and-mortar hospital.
The Future of Hospital Care
For the future of hospitals, we can soon expect only critical care to be performed on-site, with most treatments taking place at home or even electronically.
The ability to make online appointments will eliminate long wait times and crowded waiting rooms often associated with hospitals.
Hospitals will also lean on technology far more, using modern advancements to their best benefit in treatment and even in surgery. These days there is even the possibility for virtual reality to have a place in hospitals!
Technology is bringing healthcare home, leaving hospitals more space to treat patients who truly need around-the-clock care. The availability of video conferencing plus accessibility to healthcare treatments and instruments in the home, a better opportunity for high-end care for all is being worked out..
New Technology You Can Have At Home
Receiving treatment from home is only made possible when the proper equipment can be kept there. Luckily, many devices and monitors can be stored in the house for daily ease of use.
As noted by Dickson Data, data sensors improve the standard of care while ensuring the safety of patients. They can read the temperature of an environment (or of a person’s body) to keep a close watch on them over time, even when the doctor can’t physically be in their home.
Data sensors have been proven to work with temperature monitoring to assess patient health and potentially detect existing conditions. Simply monitoring a fever to help prevent diabetic complications, these devices are a must-have for at-home care and are easily accessible.
It is even possible to take blood samples and send them in for blood work without heading to a lab. Accessible online or via a healthcare provider, patients have access to at-home kits that they can use to quickly send blood for analysis.
Heart monitors, blood pressure cuffs, and other basic equipment can be kept at home for patients to monitor their own care. The collected data can be sent electronically to their provider with the help of data loggers present in these devices.
Better Care At Home
Hospitals will never go away, but medical assistance when patients need care will be much more easily accessible to the general population. The cost of healthcare in a medical facility is high. From the type of treatment to the length of stay, the price quickly adds up . Those bills can be staggering!
With the new treatment options from home, healthcare costs will be significantly reduced for minor needs and quick visits. The savings, plus the same (if not better!) quality of care, is starting to make waves in the industry.
Hospitals are improving, as is home healthcare, and patient satisfaction is increasing as a result of greater patient comfort. Technological innovation is defining the future of hospitals and making treatment at home a viable option unless hospitalization is absolutely required.
