telemedicine: microsampling is a top trend to watch

Virtual health using telemedicine is essential for smarter healthcare. Digital health tools and portable health technologies are more patient-centric and give people who are stuck at home or living in remote areas better access to healthcare.

Getting good care is no longer dependent on travel to a medical facility or location. Many medical issues can be monitored remotely.

Wearables and other portable technologies, such as microsampling devices, have many clinical benefits in both acute and chronic conditions. The following are five of the remote technologies and virtual telemedicine trends that analysts are watching.

1. Top Trend: Microsampling

The adoption of patient-centered technologies has played a key role in improving healthcare. Remote microsampling for blood collection is one trend that has changed traditional blood draws in labs or clinics.

Remote blood collection with a portable microsampling device, such as the Mitra^® device or hemaPEN^®, can replace traditional phlebotomy practices like venipuncture, where blood samples are drawn by a technician via a needle puncture to a vein in the arm.

Remote microsampling with a quick finger-stick method is virtually painless, easy to do, and doesn't require a trained technician. It offers patients and study volunteers more convenience — they can self-collect finger-prick blood samples at home and mail them to the lab from the nearest mailbox.

Blood microsamples collected with these devices can be shipped as dried blood spot specimens, which don't require dry ice or cold-shipping and storage.

Once sealed in a specimen bag and mailing envelope, they sampled devices can be shipped via standard mail. They will dry in transit to the lab and the dried samples will remain viable until laboratory testing.

2. Data Collection & Analytics

Telemedicine involves real-time capturing of patient details through mobile apps and sensors. This data can be used for patient self-monitoring. Some of these devices have the ability to track electrocardiographic details and send them automatically to doctors, providing a reliable means to monitor cardiovascular activity remotely. Availability of patient data enables doctors to follow their patients more closely and administer treatments more effectively.

3. Cloud Access and Mobility

Mobile devices are playing a key role in the provision of healthcare. Doctors and caregivers have adopted the use of mobile apps and smartphones to conduct more and more procedures in the practice of healthcare. Patients can access data on their health and insurance matters online, because the hospitals and insurance companies are using cloud data to store such details. This digital access to their health information gives individuals more control of their own health care.

4. Telemedicine: 24/7 Operability

Telemedicine provides great readiness for medical emergencies. Future facilities will be loaded with electricity and power backup systems which will enable them to provide 24/7 services.

5. Better Health Data Security

Massive patient data collection requires enhanced security. Telemedicine-enabled facilities have developed data security techniques such as data encryption of mobile devices. They also conduct penetration tests and assess the vulnerability of IT systems.

Virtual telemedicine trends continue to develop with time. They are playing a key role in smarter healthcare around the globe. Remote health tools like microsampling devices and others are giving more people greater access to quality medical care and clinical trials for research. 

Learn more about remote microsampling for different industries here:

Image Credits: Trajan, Neoteryx, Shutterstock