1 ◗ TELEMEDICINE
The Covid pandemic drove even technophobes among us online as lockdowns closed fitness studios and consulting rooms, and our medical and mental-health professionals, from therapists and dieticians to personal trainers, went digital. In 2023, although the lockdowns have been lifted, many of us will stay digital, preferring the protection against infection from ongoing coronavirus mutations (and who-knows-what new zoonotic ills), and freedom from hours frittered away in traffic and waiting rooms.
‘Globally, telehealth consultations have increased 38 to 78 times compared with pre-pandemic baselines,’ says Dr Ron Whelan, chief commercial officer at Discovery Health. ‘Across Discovery Health, virtual consultations with doctors increased more than 90-fold. Research has indicated that 73% of patients expect to continue to use telehealth to consult with their doctors in future.’
For those still hesitant, a Mayo Clinic study – published on Jama Network Open in September 2022 – found that online video telehealth diagnoses match those from in-person consultations nearly 90% of the time. Diagnoses not aligned were mostly in areas where patients ‘would likely have to see the doctor in person anyway’, such as gynaecology and
