* While telework takes hold, so grows the concept of telecare
The graying of America points to the healthcare field as a ripe opportunity for IT professionals. According to a new report from Wireless Healthcare, the elderly will rely on telecare service and health 2.0 services and they’ll need IT leaders to run them.
While telework takes hold, the concept of telecare is growing too. Telecare makes it easier to deliver services to patients and allows providers to deliver those services more efficiently and economically. The number of older Americans adept at using the Internet will make it easier for telecare service providers to roll out monitoring services to transmit data and add it to electronic medical records. There will also be increased demand for wireless services and sensors to monitor patients.
Though healthcare firms are slow to deploy electronic medical records, there’s a need for leaders who can use advanced healthcare and telecare services, according to the report “Health 2.0 and the Telecare for the Elderly.” As such, IT must factor this audience in mind when developing systems.
“Anyone designing an online system to help their parents ‘age in place’ should ask themselves, ‘Is this how I see myself spending my old age?'” says Peter Kruger, an analyst with Wireless Healthcare.
