Top 3 Telemedicine Software Challenges and How to Address Them

Like many other emerging fields, telemedicine is experiencing multiple challenges, including a lack of trust in the trend, privacy issues, and some patients’ poor technical skills. All of that affects the growth of adopting mHealth products. But fortunately, there are effective solutions to address each challenge appropriately. Let’s check them below.?

1. Lack of Trust in Telehealth Services

One of the biggest challenges in the healthcare tech market is the need for more patient trust. First, the elderly consider telehealth new and unfamiliar, although they represent a demographic group that needs healthcare services most frequently and would greatly benefit from telehealth.

Then, the market is experiencing a significant decrease in trust over the past ten years, globally and in the US alone. That is associated with various factors, like spreading false information online, the lack of trust in the government’s ways of using data, and privacy concerns.

Additionally, there have been some concerns regarding the trustworthiness of the online world. In particular, 65% of respondents worry that it will soon become impossible to distinguish between what is real and what is not among what they access via technology.?

The Solution

According to Edelman’s research on trust in the tech sector, users can rely on solutions if they understand their benefits and downsides. That would allow them to make an informed decision about adopting the tech by seeing what they are gaining and what risks they may face.

So as a mHealth software vendor or clinic representative, consider implementing the following:

• Introduce the telehealth video conferencing program to patients in terms of how it will improve their way of receiving healthcare services;
• Explain what concerns the change may bring to their lives and offer a solution to reduce the lack of face-to-face communication with their doctor;
• Gather patients’ feedback as they use telehealth to know what concerns you should address and what incentives you should offer to make the adoption easier for them;
• Collect and share testimonials from your satisfied patients to convince others about the convenience and effectiveness of telehealth services;
• Always stay in touch to help patients who use a telehealth program and have questions.

Of course, building user trust is a long process, but taking these steps will help patients view mHealth and telehealth as more reliable technologies over time.

2. Privacy and Healthcare Information Technology Management

Privacy concerns arise when patients feel uncomfortable sharing their personal data during telehealth video calls. That also applies to the medical data stored and shared within the clinic. In particular, over 70% of respondents are anxious about their data privacy and cybersecurity.

The Solution

The software must encrypt data and be breach-proof, while the environment where virtual visits take place needs to be secure. So, clinics or software vendors must tackle the issue differently. Here are the measures to take to create a secure and data-protecting solution:

• Ensure that the tool is built in compliance with HIPAA, GDPR or other local regulations;
• Use data encryption, limited data access and blockchain technology to maximize data protection when utilizing an app;
• Use a role-based access model to minimize risks of patient data getting into the wrong hands and, in case of a breach, for easier identification of those potentially involved;?
• Build cloud-based storage to keep patient data remotely and prevent data breaches;
• Communicate what data you collect during your video conferencing visits and how it is stored and deleted to all stakeholders;
• Train your staff on the rules of accessing and sharing patient data based on HIPAA rules;
• Use a secure internet connection during remote patient consultations and emphasize the need for a secure connection on the patient’s end;
• Be transparent about the measures you take to protect patient data during telehealth services and answer any questions patients may have on what you do with it.

After all, privacy is a serious matter to work on in the field of telehealth, and it is possible to manage patient data securely with a comprehensive approach.

3. Patients’ Lack of Technical Skills

Although various devices are now essential to our lives, older generations may feel less comfortable with them. While the ownership rates of portable devices are growing, age groups that need physician consultations most often, namely the elderly, are the least likely to be smartphone or tablet owners. That translates into a significant gap between what telehealth offers and some patients’ capabilities to enjoy the services.

After all, the quality of patients’ and doctors’ devices plays a crucial role in the service quality. For example, the discrepancy in sound quality will be detrimental to patients undergoing speech therapy. The same applies to the internet connection at patients’ homes.?

The Solution

One of the goals in developing telehealth should be to make it accessible and well-supported. Here are several steps that can help engage patients of all ages in using video conferencing:

• Discuss access to technology and the presence of tech skills with your patients to understand where they stand;
• Ask whether there is anyone at their home or nearby who can help them use video conferencing and troubleshoot in case of any issues;
• For virtual consulting, stick with software that is simple, technically non-demanding and offers excellent customer support;
• Train your staff to cover scenarios that can occur as you provide telehealth services to ensure you minimize any issues on your end and help adopt virtual care easier.

While poor technical skills are a real obstacle to using telehealth video conferencing to its fullest potential, this challenge is solvable.

Do you want to learn more about telehealth video conferencing challenges? Read our recent article here: https://bit.ly/3IoGdH8.?