By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    private
    Private Exchanges: Getting Ready for Individual Health Insurance to Be the Standard
    January 9, 2014
    valueable healthcare programs
    5 Most Valuable Healthcare Programs in 2023
    March 8, 2023
    Johnson & Johnson to Release Clinical Trial Data in Agreement with Yale Medical School
    February 4, 2014
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Video Calling Shrinks Distance, Time and Cost in Healthcare
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Education > Video Calling Shrinks Distance, Time and Cost in Healthcare
eHealthMedical EducationTechnology

Video Calling Shrinks Distance, Time and Cost in Healthcare

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Share
7 Min Read
telemedicine
SHARE

telemedicineHave you noticed the recent wave of TV commercials for one-to-one video calling (Apple Facetime), or multiple participation (GoToMeeting) video collaboration, or one-to-many webcasting?

telemedicineHave you noticed the recent wave of TV commercials for one-to-one video calling (Apple Facetime), or multiple participation (GoToMeeting) video collaboration, or one-to-many webcasting? In business, it’s all as close, convenient and immediate as your smart phone, tablet or laptop.

For personal and small business uses the service is free or low cost and it’s becoming commonplace. The mainstream adoption in business will be driving more medical provider and hospital applications…eventually.

In the United States and in other countries, real-time, two-way video calling and conferencing continues to find useful telemedicine applications in healthcare. But for doctor/patient communications, however, the adoption curve has been somewhat slow.

More Read

4 Capabilities Every Modern Practice Management Software Must Have
Steps To Build A Profitable Healthcare App Startup
How Technology Could Solve VA Healthcare Issues
pharmaphorum: Patient Opinion Leaders Are the New Healthcare Influencers
Taking Patient Engagement Into the Shark Tank

Commercial “Picturephone” service was introduced more than 40 years ago. And, more recently, the proliferation of broadband Internet access has allowed low cost video calling—popularized by Skype and others—available and practical virtually nearly anywhere. Despite this wide availability and the potential benefits, serious challenges remain for providers, hospitals and healthcare marketing professionals.

“Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services using two-way video, email, smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of telecommunications technology,” according to the American Telemedicine Association. It’s being integrated into the operations of hospitals, specialty departments, home health agencies, private physician offices as well as consumer’s homes and workplaces.

In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service has been testing two-way video conferencing as more engaging than phone or email, and shrinking distance (and travel time) for remotely located patients. These and other prospective advantages in patient care inspired the following contribution from Jim Barnett in England:

Tuning In to Healthcare Videoconference            

by Jim Barnett

Had you asked a doctor five years ago whether it would be feasible to use two-way “Skype” video in consultations they would have likely told you “no.”  Patient understanding was a critical factor in care.

Technology is now, more than ever, a welcome tool in saving lives through treatment, but less so when used to compensate for social interaction, particularly the intimacy of the patient doctor relationship. Video however has enabled our health services to cut patient waiting times, reduce the cost of treatment and offer more comfortable appointments subsequently resulting in an increase in patients satisfaction and the rollout of services across the western hemisphere since it was introduced in 2010.

Videoconference services address a host of educational, managerial and patient challenges in addition to enabling you to tune into your doctor from your living room. Healthcare providers have been able to establish knowledge transfers with skilled physicians around the globe. This type of consultation can improve the quality of care provided which is faster than an annual conference. Video also enables groundbreaking developments to be shared instantaneously and treatment to commence from remote locations around the world. 

These benefits make the service a highly desirable solution for medical practises; they are arguably revolutionary in transforming communications in the sector. However for patients who have yet to use videoconference consultation, how do we market its benefits for improved healthcare in the future? Here are four main points I believe we need to consider.

Quality of care – The primary objective for anybody choosing healthcare is to receive the best possible treatment and video must be represented as a tool to enhance, and not negate, this factor. Home consultations will be beneficial to patients who are more comfortable in their home environment and find visiting the doctor difficult or stressful.

Usability/Accessibility – Video services require an Internet accessible platform that is universally accessible to anybody. When Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion it provided an open source channel for users. Technology from providers like Cisco and HP will need to make one too if they are to compete in the market. A patient has to feel confident that their provider is working off an accessible platform. 

Advanced Treatment – Providers must ensure patients feel video is advancing medical care and not restricting the consultation process. Video could be used to provide follow-up appointments and as an opportunity for patient to speak to the doctor.

Personal Interaction – Medical appointments are a personal experience and this must transcend its way into the way video is represented and designed across applications and interfaces. Electronic health records will be held securely and each patient will only be able to access a doctor via their own login details.

Two-way video calling and conferencing is gaining significant traction in commercial, education and business sectors—ala WebEx, Microsoft Lync, Skype, GoToMeeting, and others—including many small business and customer service situations.

Patient privacy, confidentiality, recordkeeping, provider compensation remain as some of the patient-physician issues. In the US, and elsewhere in the world, video calling and conferencing are being used for healthcare and business related purposes. Some examples:

  • Physician-to-physician and peer-to-peer conferencing
  • Training, education, information sharing, and demonstrations
  • Access to specialized (and sometimes remotely located) expertise
  • Enables sign language and visual aids
  • Project and care team collaboration
  • Healthcare webinars, marketing, PR and media relations

For more on this topic, see our previous article: Physician Practices Revisit Telehealth to Monetize Time and Differentiate.

#  #  #

 Jim Barnett is currently researching innovative technologies in the healthcare sector. Based in Leeds, UK, he has a degree in New Media & Communications and experience on international videoconference projects. The healthcare sector is the largest vertical market for videoconference applications with strong potential to transform healthcare for the better.

 
TAGGED:telemedicine
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Strategies for Optimal Hospital Supply Chain Solutions

November 9, 2015

The Staying Power of Spine Surgery Markets

May 30, 2014
digital patient
eHealthMedical EducationMedical EthicsPublic Health

Collaborating with Patients in the Digital Information Age

April 23, 2014

Sonitus Medical – Premier Hearing Prosthetic

March 15, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?