Reshaping health behaviours

In the past three months, healthcare practices have advanced by several years. The year 2020 will be remembered as the year that reshaped health behaviours through accelerated use of digital technologies.

It takes 21 days for any habit to change. COVID-19 has given us more time than that. The pandemic made us pause literally, reset and change; for better. They say, sometimes things have to go wrong to go right. COVID-19 pandemic posed several challenges in every aspect of life. Had anyone asked us a hypothetical question about eventualities of the entire world going under lockdown, we would have stayed dumbstruck. Yet here we are; not only coping but also finding better ways of doing various activities.

E-consultations

We would have never thought that we could consult a doctor without travelling all the way to his office. In the past three months, patients are interacting with their doctors on various online platforms. They are using telephone, WhatsApp, and mobile platforms such as Practo, Lybrate, Cure Fit and Portea to consult doctors.

E-consultations provide a win-win situation for patients, doctors and governments. Eighteen years back telemedicine society of India was formed. It is estimated that telemedicine can save upto $4 billion per year for India. Yet the penetration of telemedicine was limited. Pandemic has proven that telemedicine is not only cheaper but also more effective for rural and urban India.

Time is money and more so for a healthcare practitioner. Typically, doctors see patients at multiple locations, clinics and hospitals. Often, the doctor’s time is wasted in commuting between places. Telemedicine saves doctor’s time in a meaningful manner.