Digital telecare has a multitude of significant benefits, most of which will keep growing continuously as systems and technologies continue to develop. With modern systems in digital telecare, the time it takes to connect users with care providers is greatly reduced. This allows care providers to respond promptly to calls and emergency alarms – ultimately saving patients from potentially dangerous situations. With a modern platform, telecare centres can also reliably monitor the status of patients thanks to constant feedback from the devices of the patients.
In summary, modern telecare solutions are cost-effective, highly responsive and much more reliable when compared to older and outdated counterparts.
Through the years, the landscape of telecare has developed and its effects are already evident. In the context of cost effectiveness alone, a study found that care providers in the UK could save more than 14 billion GBP over the next decade just by offering telecare services to a broader market. According to the data compiled by GlobalData, the UK has the most established telemedicine landscape in the context of reimbursement, regulation, and usage of platforms, further proving the relevance of telecare and telemedicine today.
Another major factor to consider in digital telecare today is the ongoing digital switch i.e. moving away from analogue devices and platforms and completely embracing digital technology. While some countries have already moved away from analogue systems, the big digital switch off in the UK
will take place in 2025, meaning analogue telecare systems and devices will cease to function once this happens.
Generally speaking, the population is aging. Younger people are having fewer children, and the numbers suggest that people are now living longer. The older population is also generally healthier and more independent than ever before. Thanks to innovations in telecare, this direction is unlikely to change. Additionally, the older generations prefer to stay at home longer and are now more receptive to modern devices and solutions.
With more of the older population staying at home, a bigger responsibility is placed on social alarms. A relatively simple failure can potentially lead to disastrous consequences – something that can easily be avoided with a new reliable alarm system. This further highlights the dangers of relying on old, outdated analogue platforms that are seeing higher failure rates when compared to their new digital counterparts.
While the benefits of modern systems and solutions in digital telecare are evident for both patients and the care providers, the potential challenges in making the initial switch to said digital systems cannot be denied and ignored. Digital telecare is now essentially an IT service – making the switch equates to fully integrating and embracing IT systems.
Moreover, the changes in logistical and operational processes, including the maintenance of the systems, must also be taken into account to ensure that the delivery of services is smooth without unexpected and avoidable difficulties.
Digital telecare solutions have multiple requisites in order to operate and perform with consistency and reliability as well as to prevent and potentially eliminate downtime. A consistent and reliable internet connection, a cloud-based service platform and robust security systems are just some examples of these requisites.
However, despite these challenges, the benefits of fully embracing digital systems in telecare still greatly outweigh the initial difficulties in setting the systems up.
Given the demands of the market and the constantly developing landscape of digital telecare, partnering with a platform provider that can meet all your needs is crucial to ensure that the services delivered to your patients are tailored specifically to their demands and requirements. Skyresponse offers a platform that is 100% cloud-based, built with modern and innovative technology in mind to ensure scalability and top performance.
Skyresponse provides partners with alarm and event handling management, primarily in personal care, including elderly care and personal safety, in addition to smart buildings and areas of Internet of Things. With Skyresponse, care providers and users alike can enjoy the following feats:
More importantly, Skyresponse offers a long-term solution that is futureproof, making the integration of devices, systems and solutions as seamless as possible – both regarding already present ones as well as new ones yet to be introduced to the market.