Medical Videoconsultation: How Technology Has Revolutionized a Sector

The development of new technologies has allowed the healthcare sector to expand its patient care systems in recent years, enabling it to offer primary and specialized care remotely thanks to video consultations. It is undeniable that some medical appointments cannot be replaced by a virtual consultation and there are still many who prefer to see their doctor in person. However, situations such as the one generated by COVID-19 have served to implement this system, allowing patients to continue to be attended telematically without the need for them to travel to their hospital or health center. The newspaper Cinco Días published an article in April 2020 in which several experts in the medical sector recognized how telemedicine has been the fundamental tool for overcoming the health crisis generated by the Coronavirus.

Videoconsultations offer important advantages without affecting the quality of care: they reduce waiting time, avoid unnecessary risks of contagion and are an excellent option for dependent people or those with reduced mobility.

What is a video consultation

A videoconsultation is a telematic communication system used to offer a primary or specialized care service to a client by means of a video call.

Many private companies have been offering this system to their customers for several years, although its use has skyrocketed in the health sector as a result of the coronavirus and the elimination of primary care in person (except in some specific cases). A means of communication that has come to stay and for which it is only necessary to have a cell phone or computer as a front camera and a good Internet connection.

 Which brands have been the pioneers

The brands that decided to lead the way in the field of video consultation are well known to all of us and, since its inception, have come a long way that, over time, has given excellent results and has increased the confidence indexes of its customers.

In 2015, Sanitas burst onto the market with a revolutionary personalized video care system that allows patients to make consultations without having to travel to the centers. Other insurers that soon followed in its footsteps were Adeslas and Asisa.

Sanitas

Sanitas is one of the pioneering companies in digital transformation and in launching this system and has managed to implement it in an exemplary manner. In fact, in 2019, after four years of working with video consultations, it published an informative document that brings together the experience of different specialists to provide other professionals with the tools and knowledge recommended for carrying out a video consultation per case and specialty, and which it made available to the entire medical community free of charge.

In 2019 the company already recorded that 8% of consultations were performed digitally, which meant about 2,000 videoconsultations per month. But the data also reveal that most of the patients seen with this system have repeated after trying it, increasing their level of trust in the company.

SegurCaixa Adeslas

Following the merger of Bankia and Caixa Bank that took place at the end of 2020, the insurer has been renamed SegurCaixa Adeslas. Since the end of 2019, it has implemented telematic medical care, both by telephone, video call and even chat. A service that offers immediacy and convenience to users who enjoy this health insurance, and that has brought enormous benefits in terms of confidence and security in the service offered to its customers.

Who will be next

Obviously, video consultations are not limited to the health field, although they have been worthy precursors and promoters of this system. In the last year, thousands of companies have been forced to offer a new digital service that allows them to personally serve their customers. Among them: law firms, communication agencies, real estate agencies, consulting firms…

Legaltech

A clear example of the multiple applications that video consultations can have, is the term known as Legaltech, an abbreviation of Legal Technology that initially referred to the use of technology to provide legal services, and that in 2007, as a result of the economic crisis, began to be used as a label that identifies the many startups that arise from 2011 onwards from the legal sector or around it, mainly to provide tools that make the legal work more efficient and less expensive.

For example, the Reclamador.es platform, an important legal consulting service that offers its services solely and exclusively digitally: by phone or video call. They are also specialized in various fields: tourism, inheritance, banking… which allows them to reach a larger number of clients, regardless of their geographical location.

Teaching

Another sector that in the last year has had to boost the supply of online services is education, from schools and institutes that have had to adapt classes digitally or hybrid; to language schools. Companies like Vauhgam,

For years, most universities have been offering higher education degree programs with exclusively digital modalities for those who are working or living in another province or country. This system is an important advantage because it considerably lowers the cost of the course and, in addition, often allows the user to manage their own time efficiently.

Most training centers already offer classes by video call, such as IM (The International Marketing School), and other platforms only offer online classes, such as Domestika.

 Trainers and Gyms

We can not forget the field of sport that, a year ago it seemed crazy that gyms offered virtual classes to do at home but, the confinement and closure of centers for physical activity brought with it the rise of “home gyms”. Therefore, to keep quotas and activity active, some centers such as GoFit or Fit Up have developed digital platforms for their clients that allow them to have access to targeted classes and personalized training via video call.

A system that has also come to stay, given the fear of many to return to the gym to avoid contagions and the discomfort of others for having to wear a mask.