No question about it. In just a few short weeks, our entire world has changed. A thriving economy has shattered. Long-awaited plans for spring break vacations, proms and graduations, and spring weddings and getaways are scrapped. We’ve had to entirely change the way we work, learn, interact, and just live our lives due to the coronavirus outbreak.
On top of this is anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring to us or to those we love most. As we retreat into the shelter of our homes, we tremble for the most vulnerable among us, and we pray that we will all soon see a brighter tomorrow.
As menacing as this unexpected enemy might seem right now, we’re not alone in our fight. In fact, we have an arsenal of weapons at our disposal that the survivors of previous pandemics could have only dreamt of. Now, more than ever, we are realizing the power of modern healthcare tech to help us win the battle against our invisible enemy.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is nothing new. In fact, it has been increasing in popularity for years. With the coronavirus outbreak, however, telemedicine is proving to be not just a luxury or a convenient option but a necessity and a lifesaver.
Instead of being packed into a crowded doctor’s office or emergency room, potentially exposing others or being exposed to the virus, people in need of care can connect with their healthcare providers from the safety of their homes.
And you don’t have to be experiencing virus symptoms to take advantage of telehealth. There are very few healthcare services that can’t be provided remotely. Routine consultations, mental health counseling, and virtual eye exams can all be conducted using telehealth.
Being able to receive the healthcare you need from your own home through the use of healthcare tech means you and your family will be more protected from exposure to the virus. It’s also helping to protect your community and your local healthcare system. The less you are in public, the less likely you are to get infected, to spread the infection to others, and to further burden an already struggling healthcare system.
Using telemedicine to receive the care you need also means that you’re going to be healthier. Being healthier will reduce the medical services you need, make you stronger and less vulnerable to the infection, and less likely to have a poor outcome should you become infected.
mHealth
It’s not just telehealth technologies that are proving to be such a tremendous weapon in our fight against the coronavirus outbreak. It’s also the abundance of mobile health technologies and wearable devices that can keep track of vital health data.
Today’s health apps and wearables aren’t just accessible, affordable, and easy to use, but they’re also amazingly sophisticated. They can do pretty much everything for you except name your grandchildren and pet your dog!
Today’s mHealth devices can monitor the quality of your sleep, track your nutrition and exercise, and even monitor your vitals including heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose level. This allows you to stay vigilant and to detect early signs of trouble. Above all, it’s going to help ensure that you remain in fighting form, hale and hearty, should this invisible enemy try to attack.
Social Media Apps
In this era of social distancing, it’s not just our physical health that needs protecting. Today’s technology also safeguards our emotional, psychological, and spiritual health.
It’s been said countless times, but it bears repeating. Humans are social animals. We can’t get along without each other. We need our loved ones, friends and family to stay sane. We need other people in our lives to make our lives worth living.
While not specifically healthcare tech, social apps and technologies like Skype, Google Duo, and Apple Facetime can help bridge the physical gaps that this pandemic has created between us. No social app can replace a hug, a kiss, or the simple power of human touch, but a familiar smile, a particular twinkle in a loved one’s eye, or a certain voice can be all the light you need in these dark times. With these technologies, being apart doesn’t have to mean being alone.
Telework
Telework technologies aren’t exactly health tech, but now more than ever before, these systems are protecting public health. The transition to telework may be one of the most significant moves an employer can make to protect not only her staff but her entire community.
With a virus as contagious as this one, the only real protection is to avoid close contact with those who are sick. That is far easier said than done in the workplace, however, because you can be infectious even when you aren’t symptomatic. You might pass it on unwittingly to someone who simply can’t survive the scourge.
Telework all but eliminates that threat. It allows you to work from home and maintain your productivity and your income while protecting yourself, your family, and your colleagues.
The takeaway
We’re in the midst of a battle we didn’t see coming. We’re facing perhaps the greatest threat many of us have ever seen. But we’re not fighting alone. We have one another, and we are equipped with technologies so advanced that it would have seemed like science fiction just a few short years ago.
Today, we have the ability to harness the power of technology to receive state-of-the-art healthcare from the comfort of our own homes and to protect ourselves, our families, our community, and our healthcare system. We also possess the tools to monitor our health and the health of those closest to us, ensuring that we are in prime condition to fend off this virus.
We have social networking tools to help us connect with those who soothe, uplift, and restore our minds, hearts, and spirits. And we can do this without potentially exposing our dearest ones to this powerful, unseen enemy. We hold the teleworking resources to protect our family’s financial future while also protecting their well-being and the well-being of our colleagues and our community.
What do you think of the coronavirus outbreak and the healthcare tech that’s being used to combat it? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, or Facebook. You can also comment on our MeWe page by joining the MeWe social network.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
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