We have seen the benefits of video conferencing technology for patients who live in remote areas – the ability to gain instant access to specialists and medical professionals located across the country. In times of medical emergency, video can be the difference between life and death. Doctors can use video to treat stroke patients during the short window after a stroke when it is crucial to be evaluated for a life-saving treatment.
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According to AVInteractive: The education and research sector reports that 86% of organizations expect to see significant growth in usage. Use is widespread across the sector but could be more frequent. There are high levels of internal use within organizations. Cost and time savings are considered most important benefits.
Looking forward, 86% of respondents predicted that the use of video conferencing would increase within their organization due to a combination of improvements in video conferencing technology and a wider drive to reduce organisational costs.
More here:
http://www.avinteractive.co.uk/news/33779/good-news-for-vcon
The benefits of telepsychiatry have been recognized since the 1960s when Dr. Thomas F. Dwyer, a Massachusetts psychiatrist, predicted video conferencing’s ability to facilitate the treatment of patients. Of course, the technology has come a long way since then and video conferencing is now used in a wide range of health care scenarios including mental health treatment. A recent article in the New York Times discusses how anxious and depressed patients can benefit from therapy without leaving their homes.
The US government is the world’s largest cosumer of information technology. Now the government is taking steps to cut waste and become more effecient.
CIO of the United States Vivek Kundra said “An interesting case study is what the Social Security Administration is doing with videoconferencing. People don’t have to drive down to a Social Security office — they’re doing it through videoconferencing. The General Services Administration recently moved to Google Apps, and part of what they’re going to be doing is using the consumer tools to do video online instead of building these massive brick-and-mortar platforms.”
http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/13/news/companies/vivek_kundra_leadership.fortune/
The power of video conferencing to help people is truly amazing. Imagine having a debilitating disease like Parkinson’s and not having access to a specialist because you live too far away. Telemedicine is changing that and giving patients improved care by providing much needed access to health care resources.
Read this compelling story by NPR:
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/27/137089619/the-parkinsons-doctor-will-video-chat-with-you-now
