Leading practices for the future of telemedicine: Implementing telemedicine post-pandemic. A similar pattern was observed in the Asia-Pacific by a Bain & Company survey that registered high penetration levels for telemedicine despite a slower uptake after the end of the pandemic. Growth was particularly strong in China and Indonesia, where users more than doubled between 2019 and 2023, from 24 to 53 percent in the former and from 25 to 58 percent in the latter, according to the survey.
Although there are still significant limitations on the use of telemedicine and patchy adoption across regions, the practical result is that many patients can now do an online consultation with their doctors, especially when it comes to follow-ups, making highquality advice accessible even for people who live far away from hospitals and medical centres.
Medical wearables and devices that make it easier to monitor or diagnose diseases are another glaring example of interconnected healthcare. Patches and smart watches that can measure blood pressure, heart rate, and rhythm and make the information easily accessible for medical professionals promise to improve heart disease detection in a way that might reduce the need for regular in-person check-ups. Similarly, continuous glucose monitoring already allows people with diabetes to check their blood sugar levels around the clock through a small sensor inserted under the skin, making real-time and accurate information available to doctors who can then adjust therapy, if needed, without seeing patients.
Another common practice that may be contributing to diffused healthcare systems in the future is remote surgery, as several reports of successful operations suggest the technique might be a viable option, especially with last-generation networks increasing the speed of surgical robots. The approach involves surgeons operating remotely on patients by using robotic tools connected to the Internet. In such a scenario, skilful surgeons in top hospitals will be able to augment the care offered by less experienced surgical teams hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away. This promise shows that even specialised care could, in varying degrees, move closer to where patients live instead of having them visit the hospital, a prospect that would also help ease the global dearth of experienced medical staff, including surgeons.
Singapore is moving towards healthcare without walls Singapore offers a glimpse into this future diffused model of care.
The country’ s Ministry of Health has already begun shifting some of its medical services towards the community as part of efforts to improve care for its growing ageing population. Last year, it said it would add more hospital beds and recruit additional manpower while encouraging and supporting care away from hospitals by expanding the Mobile Inpatient
Medical wearables and devices that make it easier to monitor or diagnose diseases are another glaring example of interconnected healthcare.
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific. com ISSUE 1 | 2025
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