Virtual Hospitals: How things will change in the future?
Virtual Hospitals: A Promising Solution for Overwhelmed Healthcare Systems
The healthcare landscape is changing rapidly. An aging population, increasing chronic disease prevalence, and rising patient expectations are all putting a strain on traditional healthcare systems. In response, healthcare providers are increasingly turning to virtual hospitals as a way to expand bed capacity, improve patient satisfaction and outcomes, and save costs.
These remote hospitals provide comprehensive and enhanced digitally enabled care—including remote patient monitoring and integrated data analytics—that support remote ward rounds by doctors and in-person nursing visits. This would be possible by the use of ‘wearable technology‘. They offer a number of key benefits over traditional brick-and-mortar models.
Benefits of Virtual Hopitals
First, virtual hospitals can expand bed capacity. By providing care remotely, virtual hospitals can free up beds in traditional hospitals, which can be used to treat more acutely ill patients. This is especially important in times of high demand, such as during a pandemic.
Second, virtual hospitals can improve patient satisfaction and outcomes. Studies have shown that patients who receive care through these hospitals are more satisfied with their care and have better outcomes than patients who receive care in traditional brick-and-mortar settings. This is likely due to the fact that virtual hospitals offer a more convenient and personalized care experience.
Third, virtual hospitals can save costs. By reducing the need for in-person visits, these hospitals can save healthcare providers money on things like transportation, lodging, and lost wages. This is especially important for patients who live in rural areas or who have difficulty traveling.
Statistics on Virtual Hospitals
A shift to more virtual care could mitigate the impact of rising demand for healthcare services. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, the demand for healthcare services is expected to grow by 50% by 2030. An aging population, a rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases, and higher patient expectations are what are driving this growth. These remote hospitals offer a way to meet this growing demand without having to build new hospitals or hire more staff.
Such hospitals are still in their early stages of development, but they have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, these hospitals are likely to play an increasingly important role.
Data and statistics:
- The average patient has 2.4 chronic conditions.
- The cost of chronic diseases is estimated to be $3.8 trillion per year.
- Patients with chronic diseases are 2 times more likely to be hospitalized than patients without chronic diseases.
- Patients with chronic diseases are 3 times more likely to die prematurely than patients without chronic diseases.
Conclusion
Personalized medicine would be one of the most helpful tools in healthcare in the future. Almost all virtual hospitals would use this technology to refine and define the management of chronic illnesses in the future. Furthermore, as discussed here, these hospitals would offer a promising solution for overwhelmed healthcare systems. They have the potential to expand bed capacity, improve patient satisfaction and outcomes, and save costs. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, virtual hospitals are likely to play an increasingly important role.