Role of Telemedicine and Digital Technology in Public Health in India: A Narrative Review

Abstract

There are still many areas of India without proper medical facilities. In such a setting, technology can play a facilitating role, particularly in reaching out to remote locations and offering a greater standard of care at a lower cost. The method of treating and diagnosing patients remotely through communication networks is known as telemedicine. When more patients get access to telemedicine, payers take more notice of how much less expensive it is than traditional medicine, and doctors are aware of its benefits. Telemedicine is a more beneficial technology that can expand access to preventive treatment and may lead to long-term health. Telemedicine has the potential to greatly affect public health. This paper reviews the current state of the art of telemedicine in India. Nearly 50 years ago, telemedicine was shrugged off as a complicated, expensive, and inefficient technology. Because of how quickly the information technology and telecommunications disciplines are advancing, telemedicine is today a viable, dependable, and useful technique. Practitioners and medical experts from a variety of fields have experienced success with telemedicine. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for strong primary healthcare networks for a more effective public health response during health emergencies and exposed the fragmentation of healthcare delivery systems. Although primary care is the first point of contact between the general public and the healthcare system, it has not recently grown much focus or funding. Even in the post-COVID-19 environment, telemedicine offers the potential to get through enduring barriers to primary care in India, such as a shortage of qualified medical professionals, issues with access, and the cost of in-person care. Telemedicine has the power to speed up the delivery of universal health coverage while strengthening primary care. There is a widening gap between people and those who offer basic health services as the population in India has grown, and the average lifespan has increased. Telemedicine helps with palliative care, early identification, a better cure, prevention, and rehabilitation in the treatment of cancer. Due to a shortage of primary care delivery networks and referral units, secondary and tertiary care facilities' health systems are overworked. To successfully use telemedicine, proper planning and operating processes are required. Thus, the development and implementation of telemedicine will improve patient care and India's primary healthcare system in the future. Finally, telemedicine's cost-effectiveness will likely be its most significant outcome. Copyright © 2023, Maroju et al.