Telemedicine: How Covid-19 has changed the way we seek medical advice

For Trendspotting Thursdays Refilwe Moloto finds our more about telemedicine and its use during the coronavirus pandemic.

It seems we could be on the way to waving a permanent goodbye to the way we have traditionally accessed medical advice.

With millions of people across the globe being told to stay at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus, more and more of us are choosing to access our medical practitioners using technology rather than going into doctor's rooms.

The current Covid-19 pandemic has led to a huge surge in the demand for telemedicine or 'remote medicine' and in the US telemedicine firm Doctor On Demand this week announced it had raised $75 Million To expand during the covid crisis.

Speaking to CapeTalk's Refilwe Moloto for Trendspotting Thursdays Ryan McFadyen at Have You Heard Marketing says although it has been around for some time, telemedicine has seen enormous growth since the start of the pandemic.

We've seen telemedicine rates go from 15-16% to a high of around 89% in China, with the lowest levels being reported in Singapore at around 49%.

Ryan McFadyen, Co-founder/Head of Strategy - Have You Heard

What's really interesting is 84% of the consumers trying telemedicine for the first time have actually said they really enjoyed it and over 50% saying they found it extremely satisfactory and they would continue to use it in the future as their preferred form of consultation.

Ryan McFadyen, Co-founder/Head of Strategy - Have You Heard

McFayden says the use of telemedicine in South Africa is a growing trend:

In April the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) released a notice to amend the telemedicine guidelines saying they would actually endorse it.

Ryan McFadyen, Co-founder/Head of Strategy - Have You Heard

Listen to the full interview below:

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