Home healthcare has become a preferred healthcare model in recent years. An increasing number of patients and their families now place their trust on healthcare services availed at home. Patient care has now moved out of the four walls of hospitals and clinics.

The rising trend boosters

The recent pandemic created a dire need for providing healthcare at home, while preserving the fragile health of the patient. The commitment to home healthcare was highlighted well and the model has only become stronger since the past couple of years.

Home healthcare has several benefits, due to which the phenomenon has persisted long since the peak of the pandemic has passed. A market study has found that in February 2021, the use of telehealth services was 38 times higher than the pandemic levels, From an estimate of 11% of surveyed users of telehealth services before the pandemic, 40% said that they would continue to avail such services after the pandemic. While, as per surveys, every 1 in 5 healthcare leaders said that their practice offered remote patient monitoring.

Advantages of the homecare phenomenon

The conception of what constitutes healthcare at home is also evolving. It encompasses a wide range of medical services, including but not limited to, various product placements (diagnostics/therapeutic/monitoring), disease management, postoperative care, nursing for the elderly and children, emotional and physical therapy. These services are usually performed by licensed nurses and other trained home healthcare technicians and professionals.

Benefits to patients

• The emergence of several new technologies has enabled the effective and easy remote monitoring of patients.
• This trend presents a particularly lucrative option for those with acute and long term diseases, as it is practical and economically more viable.
• Healthcare at home allows patients to heal and recover in a familiar environment, with the least possible disruption to their lives as well as the routine of their family members and caretakers.
• Rather than having to visit hospitals, rehabilitation centers or nursing homes, a patient is able to avail the benefits of medical expertise and technology in the comfort of a stable environment.
• Patients have less exposure to infections that commonly spread in hospital wards.
• It is also crucial that home healthcare services are more cost-efficient as it is not feasible for a patient to stay in a hospital for extended periods of time. This can be a relief for families struggling to pay their medical bills. According to a global study, the average cost of care from a skilled nursing facility can be around $544 dollars per day, while the average cost of home healthcare per visit is $132 dollars.
• Many countries have now included home care under health insurance policies.
• Another advantage of this practice is that it allows for personalized healthcare plans, tailored to the needs and preferences of the patient.
  

Benefits to healthcare providers

Doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals also have a lot to gain from this trend. By investing in technological improvements in the field, hospitals and other healthcare agencies are backing this change. Venture funding for digital health companies saw a record-breaking $29.1 billion in 2021 compared to $14.9 billion invested in 2020 and $8.2 billion invested in 2019, according to a published report. Thus, hospitals, rather than viewing at-home care as a threat to the traditional structure, have incorporated it into the range of services they provide, providing the two in harmony based on the requirements of the patients.

More advantages

• Technologies and products that enable remote patient monitoring and care allow care providers to carefully and accurately assess the health requirements of patients and provide them with the required care.
• Since they are saving on time, they are able to provide the patient with their undivided attention and have a greater sense of clarity of every patient’s situation, leading to a more detailed diagnosis and comprehensive treatment plan.
• Hospitals have also embraced healthcare at home as a viable alternative to traditional treatment methods. Primarily, this is because it offers a solution to the problem of overcrowding of hospital wards, which has been a serious problem across the globe.
• By offering at-home services, hospitals are able to free up some of their limited bed space for cases that require more urgent and crucial care.

Innovations galore in homecare products & technologies

Investment and innovation in this field have led to the development of several products that have revolutionized patient care. The Yuwell range of products from Fakeeh Complementary is one such, which consists of devices tailored for respiratory care at home such as BreathCare PAP, Breathwear mask series, oxygen concentrator and nebulizer. The range also provides devices to monitor blood pressure, blood glucose levels and oxygen saturation levels in the blood. For people with restrictions or problems related to movement, Yuwell provides modern, innovative wheelchairs that use the latest technology to cater to the personalized needs of each patient.

Similarly, the Biotronik range of products from Fakeeh Complementary is enabling patient care at home through products like a remote monitoring system, which is made to streamline the process of cardiac monitoring and also provide timely care. Easy to use, the system automatically sends and validates data collected from the patient and notifies the user of any discrepancy, so that immediate action can be taken by the doctor or hospital.

Another impactful Biotronik invention is the CardioMessenger transmitter, which is an easy, portable, patient device that collects a wide range of data from high-quality Biotronik ICDs, CRTs, and pacemakers. Without any effort from the patient, it transfers the data collected over the cellular network straight to the doctor’s/hospital’s Home Monitoring Service Center. Additionally, the Bittium range includes innovations like the Holterplus, which is a web-based monitoring system developed to make remote cardiac monitoring easy, saving time in data transmission for clinics and enabling a normal, comfortable life for cardiac patients.

In summation

While the healthcare at home trend may have received a boost from the pandemic, its benefits have ensured that the trend is here to stay. Innovations in technology are consistently bridging the gap between home and hospital care by enabling a smooth and effortless transition. Increasing amounts of investments in this sector point to an increased level of trust placed by patients, hospitals, doctors, and other medical professionals. We are likely to see further expansion and development of the same in the years to come.