What will online medical consultations be like in 2024?

Online medical consultations are a care modality that has gained strength during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a safe, comfortable and accessible alternative for patients who need to continue their treatments or resolve their health questions without leaving home. However, this trend is not temporary, but is projected as a reality that is here to stay and transform the health system in the coming years.

According to various experts, online medical consultations will have exponential growth in 2024, driven by the development of technology, user demand, and the adaptation of health professionals and institutions. These are some of the characteristics that will define online medical consultations in 2024:

Greater coverage and quality: Online medical consultations will expand the coverage and quality of medical care, by facilitating access to specialists who are not available in the patient's geographical area, or who have very saturated agendas. In addition, online medical consultations will have artificial intelligence tools that will help diagnose, monitor and prevent diseases, as well as telemedicine devices that will measure vital signs, perform laboratory tests and send electronic prescriptions.

Greater personalization and satisfaction: Online medical consultations will offer more personalized and satisfactory care for patients, by allowing them to choose the doctor, time and means of communication that best suits them, whether by telephone, video conference, chat or email . In addition, online medical consultations will foster a closer and more trusting relationship between the doctor and the patient, by providing a space for intimacy, privacy and active listening, without the distractions or interruptions that may occur in an in-person consultation.

Greater savings and efficiency: Online medical consultations will generate savings and efficiency for both patients, doctors and health institutions, by reducing travel costs, parking, waiting time and absenteeism from work or school. In addition, online medical consultations will optimize the use of human and material resources, by avoiding unnecessary consultations, duplication of studies, overoccupancy of beds and infections of infectious diseases.

In conclusion, online medical consultations are an innovation that will revolutionize the health system in 2024, providing benefits for all actors involved: patients, doctors and institutions. However, for this type of care to consolidate and expand, adequate regulation, continuous training, a technological infrastructure and a culture of acceptance and adaptation by society are required.