Latest Telemedicine Trends for 2018

This article about telemedicine was adapted from an original post dated July 31, 2018 on Forbes.com regarding consumer tech.

What trends do you see in telemedicine? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

Answer by University of Texas School of Biomedical Informatics, Educating leaders in health informatics since 1997, on Quora:

Telemedicine is a method of providing clinical healthcare to someone from a distance by the use of telecommunication and information technology. Previously, telemedicine was reserved for treating patients located in remote areas, far away from healthcare facilities, or in locations with a shortage of medical professionals. Today’s connected patient wants to waste less time in the waiting room at the doctor’s surgery and get immediate care for minor but urgent conditions when they need it.

Telemedicine is helping bridge the large gap that once existed between patients and doctors. Not only do patients feel more in control of their health checkups, but even doctors get more time to review individual cases by being ably supported by external physicians and specialists.

A report by Mordor Intelligence predicts that global telemedicine will be worth more than $66 billion by the end of the year 2021. Here’s how five telemedicine trends will shape the future of the healthcare industry.