Coronavirus has completely changed the way all of us live, work, and socialize. This is no more evident than in the hardest hit sector – healthcare.
Here are some ways the healthcare sector is rising to the challenge of the pandemic and forging a new path in patient care.
Virtual Consultations
A lot of people both inside and outside of the healthcare sector have experienced virtual consultations by now. In a healthcare setting, it is doubly important to limit the number of people coming into contact with others – especially those who are already ill or whose immune systems are compromised.
Conducting some appointments and consultations by telephone or video call has been a vital way the sector has adapted, minimizing unessential contact and helping to keep both medical practitioners and patients safer.
Storing Data Remotely
With the increase of online appointments and working from home, the need has arisen for the remote storage of patient data.
This is the continuation of the trend of switching from paper-based records to digital records in healthcare, though the pandemic has accelerated this transition along at an unprecedented pace.
The use of digital records also has the added advantage of removing the need for papers to be passed from hand to hand – essential during a pandemic.
This shift to digital records within healthcare comes with the requirement for patient data to be stored safely.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulates the use of patient data, with stringent penalties for any parties found to be inadequately safeguarding patient data.
With the ever-increasing threat of cyber attacks, using a secure, gold-standard data storage service such as Central Data Storage, which is specifically designed to be HIPAA compliant, is essential for any healthcare organization.
The use of expert service is vitally important in the quick transition to digital storage, ensuring that patient data is easily accessible in order to provide the best care to patients and ensuring that confidential data is safe and secure.
Cancelling non-urgent procedures
Unfortunately, as is the case in many industries, the pandemic has meant that some services have had to be reduced in this ‘new normal’.
With coronavirus stretching healthcare services to their limits, some non-essential appointments and procedures have had to be cancelled, in order to prioritize and care for the most urgent patients in need.
Preparing for the second (and third and fourth) wave
It looks as if the world will be living with coronavirus for the foreseeable future.
Though it is hard to predict when life will return to the pre-2020 normal, the healthcare sector has, more than any other sector, had to adjust and learn to thrive within this new challenging normal.
The industry is prepared for the influx of patients that further waves of coronavirus can create and using secure, HIPAA compliant data storage will ensure that patients can be seen quickly, securely, and safely. Ultimately the use of digital data storage services will be a huge asset to the healthcare sector even beyond the coronavirus pandemic – ensuring that records remain safe and quickly accessible.
